An American Writer of short stories, essays, and novels, he is known for such works as Going Places and I Would Have Saved Them If I Could.
He graduated from New York University and subsequently received a PhD in English literature from the University of Michigan. He later taught English at the University of California, Berkeley.
His autobiographical novel, Sylvia, was inspired by the suicide of his first wife, Sylvia Bloch.
He was the New York-born son of a Jewish-Polish immigrant father. He was married three times: to Sylvia Bloch, Katharine Ogden, and Brenda Hillman. His son Jessie Michaels is a singer.
His novel, The Men's Club, was made into a film featuring Harvey Keitel.
