Harry Crews
Encyclopedia
Harry Crews is an American
novel
ist, playwright
, short story
writer and essayist. He was born in Bacon County, Georgia
in 1935 and served in the Marines
during the Korean War
. He attended the University of Florida
on the GI Bill, but dropped out to travel. Eventually returning to the university, Harry finally graduated and moved his wife, Sally, and son, Patrick Scott, to Jacksonville where Harry taught Junior High English for a year.
Harry returned to Gainesville and the university to work on his master's in English Education. It was during this period that he and Sally divorced for the first time. Harry continued his studies, graduated, and - denied entrance into UF's Creative Writing program - took a teaching position at Broward Community College in the subject of English. It was here in south Florida that Harry convinced Sally to return to him, and they were re-married. A second son, Byron, was born to them in 1963. He returned to University of Florida in 1968 not as a student, but as a member of the faculty in Creative Writing. Crews formerly taught in the creative writing program at the University of Florida
. In 1964, Patrick Scott drowned in a neighbor's pool. This proved to be too heavy a burden on the family, and Harry and Sally were once again divorced.
His first published novel, The Gospel Singer, was released in 1968. His novels include: A Feast of Snakes, The Hawk is Dying
, Body, Scar Lover, Karate Is A Thing of the Spirit, All We Need of Hell, The Mulching of America, Car, and Celebration. He published a memoir
in 1978 titled A Childhood: The Biography of a Place. Crews has written essays for Esquire
, Playboy, and Fame. He had a column in Esquire called "Grits" for fourteen months in the 1970s, where he covered such topics as cockfighting and dog fighting
. Harry has a tattoo on his right arm that says How do you like your blue eyed boy Mr. Death (from the poem Buffalo Bill's by e.e. cummings) beneath a skull.
The University of Georgia acquired Harry Crews's papers in August 2006. The archive includes manuscripts and typescripts of his fiction, correspondence, and notes made by Crews while on assignment.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
writer and essayist. He was born in Bacon County, Georgia
Bacon County, Georgia
Bacon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Bacon County is named after Augustus Bacon, a former United States Senator from Georgia. The constitutional amendment to create the county was proposed July 7, 1914, and ratified November 3, 1914. As of 2000, the population is...
in 1935 and served in the Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. He attended the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
on the GI Bill, but dropped out to travel. Eventually returning to the university, Harry finally graduated and moved his wife, Sally, and son, Patrick Scott, to Jacksonville where Harry taught Junior High English for a year.
Harry returned to Gainesville and the university to work on his master's in English Education. It was during this period that he and Sally divorced for the first time. Harry continued his studies, graduated, and - denied entrance into UF's Creative Writing program - took a teaching position at Broward Community College in the subject of English. It was here in south Florida that Harry convinced Sally to return to him, and they were re-married. A second son, Byron, was born to them in 1963. He returned to University of Florida in 1968 not as a student, but as a member of the faculty in Creative Writing. Crews formerly taught in the creative writing program at the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
. In 1964, Patrick Scott drowned in a neighbor's pool. This proved to be too heavy a burden on the family, and Harry and Sally were once again divorced.
His first published novel, The Gospel Singer, was released in 1968. His novels include: A Feast of Snakes, The Hawk is Dying
The Hawk is Dying
The Hawk Is Dying is a 2006 film based on the book by Harry Crews. It was accepted to the 2006 Director's Fortnight Competition at the Cannes Film Festival...
, Body, Scar Lover, Karate Is A Thing of the Spirit, All We Need of Hell, The Mulching of America, Car, and Celebration. He published a memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
in 1978 titled A Childhood: The Biography of a Place. Crews has written essays for Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
, Playboy, and Fame. He had a column in Esquire called "Grits" for fourteen months in the 1970s, where he covered such topics as cockfighting and dog fighting
Dog fighting
Dog fighting is a form of blood sport in which game dogs are made to fight, sometimes to the death. It is illegal in most developed countries. Dog fighting is used for entertainment and may also generate revenue from stud fees, admission fees and gambling....
. Harry has a tattoo on his right arm that says How do you like your blue eyed boy Mr. Death (from the poem Buffalo Bill's by e.e. cummings) beneath a skull.
The University of Georgia acquired Harry Crews's papers in August 2006. The archive includes manuscripts and typescripts of his fiction, correspondence, and notes made by Crews while on assignment.
In Popular Culture
- Kim GordonKim GordonKim Althea Gordon is an American musician, vocalist, artist, record producer, video director and actress. She has sung and played bass and guitar in the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, and in Free Kitten with Julia Cafritz...
(of Sonic YouthSonic YouthSonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
), Lydia LunchLydia LunchLydia Lunch is an American singer, poet, writer, and actress whose career was spawned by the New York No Wave scene...
and Sadie Mae named their band Harry CrewsHarry Crews (band)Harry Crews was a short-lived hardcore / Thrash / No Wave band made up of Lydia Lunch , Kim Gordon and Sadie Mae . Their one album, Naked in Garden Hills, released in 1989, was a compilation of live recordings at clubs in London, UK and Austria...
after him. They released one album, Naked in Garden Hills, in 1989.
- Canadian pop band Men Without HatsMen Without HatsMen Without Hats is a Canadian New Wave group from Montreal, Quebec. Their music was characterized by the distinctive baritone voice of their lead singer Ivan Doroschuk as well as their elaborate use of synthesizers and electronic processing...
has a song called "Harry Crews" on their 1991 album Sideways.
- ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
band Drag The RiverDrag The River (Colorado band)Drag the River is an alt-country band hailing from Fort Collins, Colorado, United States. The band formed in 1996 when members Chad Price and Jon Snodgrass recorded 20 or so songs which were released as demos in 2000. All the members of the band come from a punk rock background. Price and ex-member...
has a song called "Mr. Crews" on their 2006 album It's Crazy.
- Crews was the subject of the first installment of the "Rough South" documentary series written and directed by Gary Hawkins. The film, entitled The Rough South of Harry Crews won a regional Emmy Award and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's Gold Award in 1992.
- In the 2004 documentary, Searching for the Wrong-Eyed JesusSearching for the Wrong-Eyed JesusSearching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus is a documentary film starring Jim White. The film is about the American South. Commissioned by the BBC, it documents the intersection of country music and Christianity in the United States. It was inspired by White's similarly titled album The Mysterious Tale of...
, Crews tells his grisly homespun Southern stories while walking down a rural dirt track.
- Harry played a brief role in Sean Penn's The Indian RunnerThe Indian RunnerThe Indian Runner is a 1991 drama film written and directed by Sean Penn. It is based on Bruce Springsteen's song, "Highway Patrolman".-Plot:...
and dedicated his book Scar Lover to Penn.
- In 2007, another documentary was released: Harry Crews - Survival is Triumph Enough. The personal format is loosely based on an interview with artist and filmmaker Tyler TurkleTyler Turkle-History:Tyler Turkle was born May 29, 1947 in Alliance, Ohio. He received his B.A. in History in 1970 from Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio and studied cinematography at Kent State University. From 1975 to 1987 he taught art, photography, video and filmmaking in the School of Visual Arts at...
, and the themes explored include hardship, tragedy and loss throughout the Crews' life.
Further Reading
- Perspectives on Harry Crews. Erik Bledsoe (ed.). University Press of Mississippi, 2001. (available on google books).
External links
- www.harrycrews.com
- www.myspace.com/harrycrews/ Unofficial page on MySpace.
- Out of the Gates, Slowly Bleeding: The Life & Times of Harry Crews
- New Georgia Encyclopedia article on Crews
- Crew's new book
- DVD/VOD: Harry Crews - Survival is Triumph Enough
- http://www.harrycrews.org/Personal/Biography/