Hervey Allen
Encyclopedia
William Hervey Allen was an American
author
.
in 1915, where he also became a member of the Sigma Chi
Fraternity
.
He served as a Lieutenant in the 28th (keystone) Division, United States Army during the World War I
and fought in the Aisne-Marne offensive July-August, 1918. He wrote "Toward the Flame" (1926), a nonfictional account of his experiences in the war.
Allen is best known for his work Anthony Adverse
. He also planned a series of novels about colonial America called The Disinherited. He completed three works in the series: The Forest and the Fort (1943), Bedford Village (1944), and Toward the Morning (1948). The novels tell the story of Salathiel Albine, a frontiersman kidnapped as a boy by Shawnee Indians in the 1750s. All three works were collected and published as the City in the Dawn. Allen also wrote Israfel (1926), a biography of American writer Edgar Allan Poe
.
For a period of time, Allen taught at the Porter Military Academy in Charleston, South Carolina
. He also taught English at Charleston High School which at that time, although public, was only for boys. (The girls went to Memminger.) There he met and befriended DuBose Heyward
. He later was a professor at Vassar University where he met his wife, Ann "Annette" Andrews. They had three children, Marcia, Mary Ann and Richard.
In the 1940s he co-edited the Rivers of America Series
with Carl Carmer. Allen was a good friend of Marjory Stoneman Douglas
and instigated her writing The Everglades: River of Grass
. Allen was close friends with Robert Frost and Ogden Nash.
Allen died at his home, called the Glades
, in Coconut Grove, Florida from a heart attack
while in the shower, and was found by his wife Annette.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
.
Biography
He graduated from University of PittsburghUniversity of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
in 1915, where he also became a member of the Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
Fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
.
He served as a Lieutenant in the 28th (keystone) Division, United States Army during the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and fought in the Aisne-Marne offensive July-August, 1918. He wrote "Toward the Flame" (1926), a nonfictional account of his experiences in the war.
Allen is best known for his work Anthony Adverse
Anthony Adverse
Anthony Adverse is a 1936 American drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy. The screenplay by Sheridan Gibney is based on the sprawling 1,224-page novel of the same title by Hervey Allen.-Plot:...
. He also planned a series of novels about colonial America called The Disinherited. He completed three works in the series: The Forest and the Fort (1943), Bedford Village (1944), and Toward the Morning (1948). The novels tell the story of Salathiel Albine, a frontiersman kidnapped as a boy by Shawnee Indians in the 1750s. All three works were collected and published as the City in the Dawn. Allen also wrote Israfel (1926), a biography of American writer Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
.
For a period of time, Allen taught at the Porter Military Academy in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
. He also taught English at Charleston High School which at that time, although public, was only for boys. (The girls went to Memminger.) There he met and befriended DuBose Heyward
DuBose Heyward
Edwin DuBose Heyward was a white American author best known for his 1925 novel Porgy. This novel was the basis for the play by the same name and, in turn, the opera Porgy and Bess with music by George Gershwin.-Life and career:Heyward was born in 1885 in Charleston, South Carolina and was a...
. He later was a professor at Vassar University where he met his wife, Ann "Annette" Andrews. They had three children, Marcia, Mary Ann and Richard.
In the 1940s he co-edited the Rivers of America Series
Rivers of America Series
The Rivers of America Series is a landmark series of books on American rivers, for the most part written by literary figures rather than historians. The series spanned three publishers and thirty-seven years.- History :...
with Carl Carmer. Allen was a good friend of Marjory Stoneman Douglas
Marjory Stoneman Douglas
Marjory Stoneman Douglas was an American journalist, writer, feminist, and environmentalist known for her staunch defense of the Everglades against efforts to drain it and reclaim land for development...
and instigated her writing The Everglades: River of Grass
The Everglades: River of Grass
The Everglades: River of Grass is a non-fiction book written by Marjory Stoneman Douglas in 1947. Published the same year as the formal opening of Everglades National Park, the book was a call to attention about the degrading quality of life in the Everglades and continues to remain an influential...
. Allen was close friends with Robert Frost and Ogden Nash.
Allen died at his home, called the Glades
Hervey Allen Study
The Hervey Allen Study is a historic site in South Miami, Florida. It is located at 8251 Southwest 52nd Avenue. On May 7, 1974, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places....
, in Coconut Grove, Florida from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
while in the shower, and was found by his wife Annette.
External links
- Biographical Sketch by Ryan Cannon
- The Rivers of America Series, A Descriptive Bibliography, Carol Fitzgerald, 2001
- Works by Hervey Allen at Project Gutenberg Australia
- Photo