Charles Johnson Charles Johnson is a novelist, screenwriter, essayist, professional cartoonist and was the Pollock Professor of English at the University of Washington until his retirement. In 1998 he received a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship ad in 2003 literary scholars founded the Charles Johnson Society at the American Literature Association. He is the author of more than sixteen books, including the PEN/Faulkner-nominated story collection The Sorcerer's Apprentice and the novel Middle Passage, for which he won the National Book Award. Read More Read Less