Agnes Boulton
Encyclopedia
Agnes Boulton was a successful "pulp fiction" writer in the 1910s, later the wife of Eugene O'Neill
. Prior to their marriage, she wrote for such magazines as Breezy Stories, Snappy Stories, and Young's Magazine. Boulton was born in 1892
in England
, the daughter of Cecil and Edward W. Boulton (a painter), but grew up in Philadelphia and later in West Point Pleasant, New Jersey
.
Boulton met O'Neill in the fall of 1917 in the Golden Swan Saloon, better known as The Hell Hole, in Greenwich Village
. They married some six months later in Provincetown, Massachusetts
. O'Neill, at the time, was considered a promising author of one-act plays. During the first year of their marriage, he wrote Beyond the Horizon, his first full-length, Broadway play, which won the Pulitzer Prize
in 1920
. During the early years of the marriage, Boulton modified her writing and had two stories published by The Smart Set
, an important magazine co-edited by H. L. Mencken
and George Jean Nathan
.
She gave birth to Shane O'Neill in 1919 and Oona O'Neill
in 1925. The marriage came to an end when O'Neill left Boulton for the actress Carlotta Monterey in 1928. The Boulton/O'Neill marriage has been studied by William Davies King in "Another Part of a Long Story: Literary Traces of Eugene O'Neill and Agnes Boulton" (Michigan 2010).
Her daughter, Oona O'Neill
, married Charlie Chaplin
in 1943 at the age of 18 (he was 54), and moved to Switzerland with him nine years later, renouncing her American citizenship.
Boulton published a novel, The Road Is Before Us, in 1944
, and a memoir of the first two years of her marriage to O'Neill in 1958. Entitled Part of a Long Story, the memoir gives a fascinating portrayal of an odd literary marriage at its inception. A new and annotated version of that book was published by McFarland in 2011. A selection of her stories can be found on eOneill.com.
Contrary to the terms of the 1929 divorce settlement, Boulton had saved most of her letters to and from O'Neill, as well as some O'Neill manuscripts, including "Exorcism," a one-act play by O'Neill, which was thought to have been destroyed but had been given by Boulton to a friend, Philip Yardon. It was published in the October 17, 2011 issue of The New Yorker. The O'Neill/Boulton correspondence was published in 2000 by Fairleigh Dickinson University Press in a volume called A Wind Is Rising.
Boulton died in November 1968
.
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into American drama techniques of realism earlier associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish...
. Prior to their marriage, she wrote for such magazines as Breezy Stories, Snappy Stories, and Young's Magazine. Boulton was born in 1892
1892 in literature
The year 1892 in literature involved some significant new books.-Events:*Shadows Uplifted by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper becomes the second novel by an African-American woman published in the United States-New books:...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the daughter of Cecil and Edward W. Boulton (a painter), but grew up in Philadelphia and later in West Point Pleasant, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
Boulton met O'Neill in the fall of 1917 in the Golden Swan Saloon, better known as The Hell Hole, in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
. They married some six months later in Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,431 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2007 population of 3,174...
. O'Neill, at the time, was considered a promising author of one-act plays. During the first year of their marriage, he wrote Beyond the Horizon, his first full-length, Broadway play, which won the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
in 1920
1920 in literature
The year 1920 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Agatha Christie publishes her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, introducing the long-running character detective, Hercule Poirot....
. During the early years of the marriage, Boulton modified her writing and had two stories published by The Smart Set
The Smart Set
The Smart Set was a literary magazine founded in America in March 1900 by Colonel William d'Alton Mann.-History:Mann had previously published Town Topics, a gossip rag which he used for political and social gain among New York City's infamous elite known as "The Four Hundred." With The Smart Set,...
, an important magazine co-edited by H. L. Mencken
H. L. Mencken
Henry Louis "H. L." Mencken was an American journalist, essayist, magazine editor, satirist, acerbic critic of American life and culture, and a scholar of American English. Known as the "Sage of Baltimore", he is regarded as one of the most influential American writers and prose stylists of the...
and George Jean Nathan
George Jean Nathan
George Jean Nathan was an American drama critic and editor.-Early life:Nathan was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana...
.
She gave birth to Shane O'Neill in 1919 and Oona O'Neill
Oona O'Neill
Oona, Lady Chaplin was the daughter of Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Eugene O'Neill and writer Agnes Boulton, and the wife of British actor, director and producer Charlie Chaplin....
in 1925. The marriage came to an end when O'Neill left Boulton for the actress Carlotta Monterey in 1928. The Boulton/O'Neill marriage has been studied by William Davies King in "Another Part of a Long Story: Literary Traces of Eugene O'Neill and Agnes Boulton" (Michigan 2010).
Her daughter, Oona O'Neill
Oona O'Neill
Oona, Lady Chaplin was the daughter of Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Eugene O'Neill and writer Agnes Boulton, and the wife of British actor, director and producer Charlie Chaplin....
, married Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
in 1943 at the age of 18 (he was 54), and moved to Switzerland with him nine years later, renouncing her American citizenship.
Boulton published a novel, The Road Is Before Us, in 1944
1944 in literature
The year 1944 in literature involved some significant new books.-New books:*Samuel Hopkins Adams – Canal Town*Jorge Amado – Terras do Sem Fim *Saul Bellow – Dangling Man*Jorge Luis Borges – Fictions...
, and a memoir of the first two years of her marriage to O'Neill in 1958. Entitled Part of a Long Story, the memoir gives a fascinating portrayal of an odd literary marriage at its inception. A new and annotated version of that book was published by McFarland in 2011. A selection of her stories can be found on eOneill.com.
Contrary to the terms of the 1929 divorce settlement, Boulton had saved most of her letters to and from O'Neill, as well as some O'Neill manuscripts, including "Exorcism," a one-act play by O'Neill, which was thought to have been destroyed but had been given by Boulton to a friend, Philip Yardon. It was published in the October 17, 2011 issue of The New Yorker. The O'Neill/Boulton correspondence was published in 2000 by Fairleigh Dickinson University Press in a volume called A Wind Is Rising.
Boulton died in November 1968
1968 in literature
The year 1968 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* Dean R. Koontz's first novel, Star Quest is published....
.