William McPherson was an American journalist, literary critic and novelist noted for his long career as a book reviewer and essayist. He is the author of two novels, Testing the Current and To the Sargasso Sea, as well as numerous articles, essays and book reviews. During his career as a journalist he wrote for The Washington Post, where his criticism gained national attention and led to a major literary prize.

Career and work

McPherson built a reputation as a thoughtful, attentive critic whose reviews combined close reading with clear, approachable prose. He produced regular criticism, essays and longer pieces that engaged both contemporary books and broader literary traditions. His bylines appear across many forms of cultural journalism and commentary, and his work influenced readers and writers who followed literary coverage in the late 20th century.

Novels and themes

In addition to his criticism, McPherson wrote fiction. His novels, Testing the Current and To the Sargasso Sea, explore personal memory, relationships, and aspects of American life. Reviewers and readers have noted his interest in character detail and atmospheric description; his fiction has been read as a complement to the sensibilities evident in his critical prose.

Awards and legacy

McPherson received the Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Criticism in 1977, an honor recognizing the clarity and persuasiveness of his literary criticism. That award helped consolidate his standing among American critics of his generation. Beyond the prize, his essays and reviews contributed to public conversations about literature and helped shape the late 20th-century book pages where many readers first encountered new writing.

Notable facts and roles:

  • Author of two novels and numerous essays and book reviews.
  • Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Criticism (1977).
  • Longtime contributor to The Washington Post and other publications.

William McPherson died on March 28, 2017 at a medical center in Washington, D.C. (medical center), from complications of congestive heart failure and pneumonia (pneumonia). He was 84. His death was noted in obituaries that recalled both his prize-winning criticism and his contributions as a novelist and essayist.