Breece D'J Pancake
Breece D'J Pancake was an American author born on June 29, 1952, in Charleston, West Virginia. He grew up in a working-class family and pursued his education at West Virginia Wesleyan College and Marshall University, ultimately attending the University of Virginia for graduate studies. Pancake was influenced by mentors such as John Casey and James McPherson and was known for his distinct literary style, characterized by concise prose and themes of struggle, often reflecting his experiences in rural West Virginia. His writing garnered critical acclaim, leading to awards and a nomination for the Pulitzer Prize for his posthumous collection, "The Stories of Breece D'J Pancake." Despite his promising career, Pancake faced personal challenges, including a difficult romantic relationship and societal pressures regarding his choice to be a writer. Tragically, he died by suicide on April 8, 1979, at the age of 26. Today, Pancake's work is remembered for its poignant exploration of human experiences and the complexities of life in Appalachia.
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Subject Terms
Breece D'J Pancake
Author
- Born: June 29, 1952
- Birthplace: South Charleston, West Virginia
- Died: April 8, 1979
- Place of death: Charlottesville, Virginia
Biography
Breece (Dexter) D’J Pancake was born June 29, 1952, in Charleston, West Virginia. His parents were Clarence Robert and Helen (Frazier) Pancake. He attended West Virginia Wesleyan College, in 1970-1971, and received his B.A. from Marshall University in West Virginia in 1974. He taught English at Fork Union Military Academy and Staunton Military Academy from 1974 to 1976. He attended graduate school working toward the M.F.A. degree in English at the University of Virginia, from 1976 to 1979. Among his mentors were John Casey and James McPherson.
When Pancake converted to Catholicism in 1977, he took two middle names, David and John. The initials were misspelled as D’J when his first short story was printed inThe Atlantic Monthly magazine, and Pancake let the typographical error stand. Pancake was an outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, fishing and camping. He was compared to Ernest Hemingway both for his life style and for his literary style: spare prose portraits of fighters, hard drinkers and often desperate men.
While still a graduate student, he won a governor’s fellowship in fiction writing from the University of Virginia, 1976; the Jefferson Society Fiction Award from the University of Virginia, 1977; and the Hoyns fellowship for fiction writing from the University of Virginia, 1978. He read manuscripts for the Virginia Quarterly Review. He was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, 1983, for his one book, the posthumous collection, The Stories of Breece D’J Pancake.
Pancake fell in love with Emily Miller, also a graduate student at the University of Virginia. Apparently she reciprocated his love, but her parents persuaded her not to marry him. He believed that this was because of their difference in social status and partly because they considered that his proposed career as a writer would not provide adequate income for a family.
Pancake published short stories in magazines such as The Atlantic Monthly, Antaeus, and Night Work. His work was well received, and editors asked him to write a short story collection and a novel for publication. He served on the staff of the Virginia Quarterly Review.
In 1979, Pancake applied for jobs and for a fellowship at the Millay Colony for the Arts. However, before he received the answers (he did get the Millay fellowship), he committed suicide. He died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds on April 8, 1979, near Charlottesville, Virginia. His greatest achievement is his posthumous collection, a volume of twelve powerful, finely crafted stories about life in rural West Virginia.