Editing Michael Chabon (section)

== The Chabon universe ==

Chabon has provided several subtle hints throughout his work that the stories he tells take place in a shared fictional universe. One recurring character, who is mentioned in three of Chabon's books but never actually appears, is Eli Drinkwater, a fictional [[catcher]] for the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] who died abruptly after crashing his car on Mt. Nebo Road.<ref name="smoke">Chabon (1991). pp. 91–103.</ref> The most detailed exposition of Drinkwater's life appears in Chabon's 1990 short story "Smoke", which is set at Drinkwater's funeral, and refers to him as "a scholarly catcher, a redoubtable batsman, and a kind, affectionate person."<ref name="smoke"/> Drinkwater was again referred to (though not by name) in Chabon's 1995 novel ''Wonder Boys'', in which narrator Grady Tripp explains that his sportswriter friend Happy Blackmore was hired "to ghost the autobiography of a catcher, a rising star who played for Pittsburgh and hit the sort of home runs that linger in the memory for years."<ref name="ghost">Chabon (1995), p. 296.</ref>

Tripp explains that Blackmore turned in an inadequate draft, his book contract was cancelled, and the catcher died shortly afterwards, "leaving nothing in Happy's notorious 'files' but the fragments and scribblings of a ghost."<ref name="ghost"/> In Chabon's children's book ''Summerland'' (2002), it is suggested that Blackmore was eventually able to find a publisher for the biography; the character Jennifer T. mentions that she has read a book called ''Eli Drinkwater: A Life in Baseball'', written by Happy Blackmore.<ref>{{cite book |last=Chabon |first=Michael |title=Summerland |year=2002 |publisher=Hyperion |location=New York |isbn=0-7868-1615-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/summerland00chab_0 }} p. 397.</ref>  Drinkwater's name may have been selected in homage to contemporary author [[John Crowley (author)|John Crowley]], whom Chabon is on the record as admiring. Crowley's novel ''[[Little, Big]]'' featured a main character named Alice Drinkwater.

There are also instances in which character surnames reappear from story to story. Cleveland Arning, a character in Chabon's 1988 [[debut novel]], ''The Mysteries of Pittsburgh'', is described as having come from a wealthy family,<ref>{{cite book |last=Chabon |first=Michael |title=The Mysteries of Pittsburgh |year=1988 |publisher=William Morrow and Company|location=New York |isbn=0-688-07632-7}} p. 114.</ref> one that might be expected to be able to [[Financial endowment|endow]] a building. Near the end of ''Wonder Boys'' (1995), it is mentioned that, on the unnamed college campus at which Grady Tripp teaches, there is a building called Arning Hall "where the English faculty kept office hours."<ref>Chabon (1995). p. 325.</ref> Similarly, in Chabon's 1989 short story "A Model World", a character named Levine discovers, or rather plagiarizes, a formula for "nephokinesis" (or cloud control) that wins him respect and prominence in the [[Meteorology|meteorological]] field.<ref>Chabon (1991). p.
72-73.</ref> In ''The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay'' (2000), a passing reference is made to the "massive Levine School of Applied Meteorology," ostensibly a building owned by [[New York University]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Chabon |first=Michael |title=The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay |year=2000 |publisher=Picador USA |location=New York |isbn=0-312-28299-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/amazingadventure00chab_0 }} p. 228.</ref>