william saroyan (born 1908) is an american dramatist and short-story writer whose family (armenian) had emigrated from south-western russia to california. his best stories are about armenian people now liuing in america but who still remember their old way of liuing. he writes in a simple style but his meaning is often philosophic. "the barber's uncle" is typical of his work. other short stories are to be found in the uery popular book. "the daring young man on the flying trapeze." his play "the time of your life" won an important american literary prize.