Howard Fast
Encyclopedia
Howard Melvin Fast was an American
novelist and television writer. Fast also wrote under the pen name
s E. V. Cunningham and Walter Ericson.
. His mother, Ida (née Miller), was a British
Jewish immigrant and his father, Barney Fast, was a Ukrainian Jewish immigrant whose name was shortened from Fastovsky upon arrival in the USA. When his mother died in 1923 and his father became unemployed, Howard's youngest brother, Julius
, went to live with relatives, w and his older brother Jerome worked by selling newspapers. He credited his early voracious reading to his part-time job in the New York Public Library
.
Young Howard began writing at an early age. While hitchhiking and riding railroads around the country to find odd jobs, he wrote his first novel, Two Valleys, published in 1933 when he was 18. His first popular work was Citizen Tom Paine, a fictional account of the life of Thomas Paine
. Always interested in American history, he also wrote The Last Frontier, about an attempt by Cheyenne
s to return to their native land; and Freedom Road, about the lives of former slave
s during Reconstruction.
. Fast effectively uses the context of the Red Scare
to illustrate the purpose of the "Fifth".
working with the United States Office of War Information
, writing for Voice of America
. In 1943, he joined the Communist Party USA
and in 1950 he was called before the House Committee on Un-American Activities; in his testimony, he refused to disclose the names of contributors to a fund for a home for orphans of American veterans of the Spanish Civil War
(one of the contributors was Eleanor Roosevelt
), and was given a three-month prison sentence for contempt of Congress
.
It was while he was in jail that Fast began writing his most famous work, Spartacus, a novel about an uprising among Roman
slaves. Blacklisted by major publishing houses following his release from prison, Fast was forced to publish the novel himself. By the standards of a self-published book, it was a great success, going through seven printings in the first four months of publication. (According to Fast in his memoir, 50,000 copies were printed, of which 48,000 were sold.) He subsequently established the Blue Heron Press, which allowed him to continue publishing under his own name throughout the period of his blacklisting. Just as the production of the film version of “Spartacus” (released in 1960) is considered a milestone in the breaking of the Hollywood blacklist, the reissue of Fast’s novel by Crown Publishers in 1958 effectively ended his own blacklisting within the American publishing industry.
In 1952, Fast ran for Congress on the American Labor Party
ticket. During the 1950s he also worked for the Communist newspaper, the Daily Worker
. In 1953, he was awarded the Stalin Peace Prize. Later in the decade, Fast broke with the Party over issues of conditions in the Soviet Union
and Eastern Europe
.
In the mid-1950s, Fast moved with his family to Teaneck, New Jersey
.
Shortly afterward, Fast wrote April Morning
, an account of the Battle of Lexington and Concord from the perspective of a fictional teenager. While not originally intended as a "young adult" novel, it has become a frequent assignment in American secondary schools and is probably thus his most popular work in the early 21st century. A film version was made for television in 1988.
In 1960, Fast began writing mystery/detective novels under the name “E.V. Cunningham”; the decision to adopt a pseudonym was not related to his blacklisting, but was a common practice for writers wishing to disassociate their “serious” writing from their genre fiction. (Gore Vidal
, for instance, wrote mysteries as “Edgar Box.”) Fast published nineteen novels as "Cunningham," the best-known of which are the Masao Masuto mysteries, seven books featuring a Nisei
detective with the Beverly Hills, California
Police Department. Fast also published occasionally under the names Behn Boruch, Walter Ericson, and Simon Kent.
In 1974, Fast and his family moved to California
, where he wrote television scripts, including such television program
s as How the West Was Won
. In 1977, he published The Immigrants, the first of a six-part series of novels.
, Connecticut
on March 12, 2003.
Fast's son Jonathan Fast
, himself a novelist, was married to novelist Erica Jong
; their daughter is the novelist Molly Jong-Fast
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist and television writer. Fast also wrote under the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
s E. V. Cunningham and Walter Ericson.
Early life
Fast was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. His mother, Ida (née Miller), was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Jewish immigrant and his father, Barney Fast, was a Ukrainian Jewish immigrant whose name was shortened from Fastovsky upon arrival in the USA. When his mother died in 1923 and his father became unemployed, Howard's youngest brother, Julius
Julius Fast
Julius Fast was an American author of both fiction and non-fiction. In 1946 he was the first recipient of the Edgar Award given by the Mystery Writers of America for the best first novel of 1945....
, went to live with relatives, w and his older brother Jerome worked by selling newspapers. He credited his early voracious reading to his part-time job in the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
.
Young Howard began writing at an early age. While hitchhiking and riding railroads around the country to find odd jobs, he wrote his first novel, Two Valleys, published in 1933 when he was 18. His first popular work was Citizen Tom Paine, a fictional account of the life of Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine
Thomas "Tom" Paine was an English author, pamphleteer, radical, inventor, intellectual, revolutionary, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States...
. Always interested in American history, he also wrote The Last Frontier, about an attempt by Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
s to return to their native land; and Freedom Road, about the lives of former slave
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
s during Reconstruction.
Contribution to Constitutionalism
Fast is the author of the prominent "Why the Fifth Amendment?" essay. This essay explains in detail the purpose of the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of AmericaFifth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which is part of the Bill of Rights, protects against abuse of government authority in a legal procedure. Its guarantees stem from English common law which traces back to the Magna Carta in 1215...
. Fast effectively uses the context of the Red Scare
Red Scare
Durrell Blackwell Durrell Blackwell The term Red Scare denotes two distinct periods of strong Anti-Communism in the United States: the First Red Scare, from 1919 to 1920, and the Second Red Scare, from 1947 to 1957. The First Red Scare was about worker revolution and...
to illustrate the purpose of the "Fifth".
Career
Fast spent World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
working with the United States Office of War Information
United States Office of War Information
The United States Office of War Information was a U.S. government agency created during World War II to consolidate government information services. It operated from June 1942 until September 1945...
, writing for Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
. In 1943, he joined the Communist Party USA
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
and in 1950 he was called before the House Committee on Un-American Activities; in his testimony, he refused to disclose the names of contributors to a fund for a home for orphans of American veterans of the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
(one of the contributors was Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
), and was given a three-month prison sentence for contempt of Congress
Contempt of Congress
Contempt of Congress is the act of obstructing the work of the United States Congress or one of its committees. Historically the bribery of a senator or representative was considered contempt of Congress...
.
It was while he was in jail that Fast began writing his most famous work, Spartacus, a novel about an uprising among Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
slaves. Blacklisted by major publishing houses following his release from prison, Fast was forced to publish the novel himself. By the standards of a self-published book, it was a great success, going through seven printings in the first four months of publication. (According to Fast in his memoir, 50,000 copies were printed, of which 48,000 were sold.) He subsequently established the Blue Heron Press, which allowed him to continue publishing under his own name throughout the period of his blacklisting. Just as the production of the film version of “Spartacus” (released in 1960) is considered a milestone in the breaking of the Hollywood blacklist, the reissue of Fast’s novel by Crown Publishers in 1958 effectively ended his own blacklisting within the American publishing industry.
In 1952, Fast ran for Congress on the American Labor Party
American Labor Party
The American Labor Party was a political party in the United States established in 1936 which was active almost exclusively in the state of New York. The organization was founded by labor leaders and former members of the Socialist Party who had established themselves as the Social Democratic...
ticket. During the 1950s he also worked for the Communist newspaper, the Daily Worker
Daily Worker
The Daily Worker was a newspaper published in New York City by the Communist Party USA, a formerly Comintern-affiliated organization. Publication began in 1924. While it generally reflected the prevailing views of the party, some attempts were made to make it appear that the paper reflected a...
. In 1953, he was awarded the Stalin Peace Prize. Later in the decade, Fast broke with the Party over issues of conditions in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
.
In the mid-1950s, Fast moved with his family to Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
.
Shortly afterward, Fast wrote April Morning
April Morning
April Morning is a 1961 novel by Howard Fast depicting the Battle of Lexington and Concord from the perspective of a fictional teenager, Adam Cooper. It takes place in the 27-hour period from April 18, 1775 to the aftermath of the battle...
, an account of the Battle of Lexington and Concord from the perspective of a fictional teenager. While not originally intended as a "young adult" novel, it has become a frequent assignment in American secondary schools and is probably thus his most popular work in the early 21st century. A film version was made for television in 1988.
In 1960, Fast began writing mystery/detective novels under the name “E.V. Cunningham”; the decision to adopt a pseudonym was not related to his blacklisting, but was a common practice for writers wishing to disassociate their “serious” writing from their genre fiction. (Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...
, for instance, wrote mysteries as “Edgar Box.”) Fast published nineteen novels as "Cunningham," the best-known of which are the Masao Masuto mysteries, seven books featuring a Nisei
Nisei
During the early years of World War II, Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated from their homes in the Pacific coast states because military leaders and public opinion combined to fan unproven fears of sabotage...
detective with the Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
Police Department. Fast also published occasionally under the names Behn Boruch, Walter Ericson, and Simon Kent.
In 1974, Fast and his family moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where he wrote television scripts, including such television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
s as How the West Was Won
How the West Was Won (TV series)
How the West Was Won is an American western television series that featured an all star cast that included: James Arness, Eva Marie Saint, Fionnula Flanagan, Bruce Boxleitner, G. W. Bailey, Trisha Noble, William Shatner, Jack Elam, Woody Strode, Anthony Zerbe, Richard Kiley, Lloyd Bridges,...
. In 1977, he published The Immigrants, the first of a six-part series of novels.
Personal life
He married his first wife, Bette Cohen, on June 6, 1937. Their children are Jonathan and Rachel. Bette died in 1994. In 1999 he married Mercedes O'Connor, who already had three sons. He died in Old GreenwichGreenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
on March 12, 2003.
Fast's son Jonathan Fast
Jonathan Fast
Jonathan Fast is an American author and social work teacher.Fast was born in New York City. He attended Princeton University, and earned graduate degrees at Columbia University and Yeshiva University...
, himself a novelist, was married to novelist Erica Jong
Erica Jong
Erica Jong is an American author and teacher best known for her fiction and poetry.-Career:A 1963 graduate of Barnard College, and with an M.A...
; their daughter is the novelist Molly Jong-Fast
Molly Jong-Fast
Molly Jong-Fast is an American author. She wrote about her wild life as a girl in 1990s New York.She is the daughter of Erica Jong and Jonathan Fast. She is the granddaughter of Howard Fast...
.
Nonfiction
- The incredible Tito New York; Magazine House (1944)
- Never to forget, the battle of the Warsaw Ghetto with William GropperWilliam GropperWilliam Victor "Bill" Gropper , was a U.S. cartoonist, painter, lithographer, and muralist. A committed radical, Gropper is best known for the political work which he contributed to such left wing publications as The Revolutionary Age, The Liberator, The New Masses, The Worker, and The Morning...
[New York? : Book League of Jewish Peoples Fraternal Order, I.W.O.International Workers OrderThe International Workers Order was a Communist Party-affiliated insurance, mutual benefit and fraternal organization founded in 1930 and disbanded in 1954 as the result of legal action undertaken by the state of New York in 1951...
, 1946 - May Day, 1947 New York : United May Day Committee, 1947
- Intellectuals in the fight for peace New York : Masses & Mainstream (1949)
- Spain and peace New York, N.Y. : Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee, (1951)
- Peekskill USA: a personal experience [New York] : Civil Rights CongressCivil Rights CongressThe Civil Rights Congress was a civil rights organization formed in 1946 by a merger of the International Labor Defense and the National Federation for Constitutional Liberties. It became known for involvement in civil rights cases such as the Trenton Six and justice for Isaiah Nixon. The CRC...
, 1951 - Jews – Story of People (1982) ISBN 0-440-34444-1
Autobiography
- Being Red (1990)
- The Naked God: The Writer and the Communist Party (1957)
Novels
- Two Valleys (1933)
- Strange Yesterday (1934)
- Place in the City (1937)
- Conceived in Liberty; a novel of Valley ForgeValley ForgeValley Forge in Pennsylvania was the site of the military camp of the American Continental Army over the winter of 1777–1778 in the American Revolutionary War.-History:...
(1939) - The Last Frontier (novel) (1941)
- Haym Solomon: Son of Liberty (novel) (1941)
- The Unvanquished (1942)
- Citizen Tom Paine (1943)
- Freedom Road (1944)
- The American: A Middle Western Legend (1946)
- Clarkton (1947)
- The Children (1947)
- My Glorious BrothersMy Glorious BrothersMy Glorious Brothers is a historical novel by the Jewish American novelist Howard Fast, depicting the 167 BC Maccabeean revolt against the Greek-Seleucid Empire. The book, which deals with Jewish independence and self-determination, was published in 1948, during the Israeli War of Independence.The...
(1948) - The Proud and the FreeThe Proud and the FreeThe Fast and the Free is a historical novel by Howard Fast that was published in 1950. It tells the story of the Pennsylvania Line Mutiny from the enlisted men's point of view.-Pennsylvania Line Mutiny:...
(1950) - Spartacus (1951) ISBN 1-56324-599-X
- Fallen Angel (1952) (writing as Walter Ericson)
- Tony and the Wonderful Door (1952)
- The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti, a New England legend (1953)
- Silas Timberman (1954)
- The Story of Lola Gregg (1956)
- Moses, Prince of Egypt (1958)
- The Winston Affair (1959)
- The Golden River (1960)
- Sylvia (1960) [his first novel published under the pseudonym E.V. Cunningham]
- April MorningApril MorningApril Morning is a 1961 novel by Howard Fast depicting the Battle of Lexington and Concord from the perspective of a fictional teenager, Adam Cooper. It takes place in the 27-hour period from April 18, 1775 to the aftermath of the battle...
(1961) - PowerPower (novel)Power is a 1962 novel by Howard Fast detailing the rise of the fictional Benjamin Holt, leader of the International Miner's Union, in the 1920s and 1930s....
(1962) - Agrippa's Daughter (1964)
- Helen (1966) [as E.V. Cunningham]
- Torquemada (1966)
- Sally (1967) [as E.V. Cunningham]
- The Crossing (film) (1971)
- The HessianThe HessianThe Hessian is a 1972 novel by Howard Fast set in the time of the American Revolution. The book is about a doctor and how he helps shelter a Hessian in the family's barn while the rest of the town is trying to capture him in order to hang him.-External links:...
(1972) - The Immigrants (1977)
- Second Generation (1978)
- The Establishment (1979)
- The Legacy (1981)
- Max (1982)
- The Outsider (1984)
- The Immigrant's Daughter (1985)
- The Dinner Party (1987)
- The Pledge (1988)
- The Confession of Joe Cullen (1989)
- The Trial of Abigail Goodman (1993)
- Seven Days in June (1994)
- The Bridge Builder's Story (1995)
- An Independent Woman (1997)
- RedemptionRedemption (1999 novel)Redemption is the 1999 novel written by Jewish writer Howard Fast, who wrote the novel Spartacus in the 1950s. Redemption is both a romance and a legal drama depicting Ike Goldman, an old professor emeritus falling in love with a woman named Elizabeth, who is later accused of her ex-husband's...
(1999) - Greenwich (2000) ISBN 0-15-100620-2
- Bunker Hill (2001)
The Masao Masuto Mysteries (as E.V. Cunningham)
- SamanthaSamanthaSamantha is a feminine given name. It was first recorded in the 18th century in New England, but its origin is unknown.Speculation has suggested an origin from the masculine given name Samuel and anthos, the Greek word for "flower"...
(1967) [later published as The Case of the Angry Actress] - The Case of the One-Penny Orange (1977)
- The Case of the Russian Diplomat (1978)
- The Case of the Poisoned Eclairs (1979)
- The Case of the Sliding Pool (1981)
- The Case of the Kidnapped Angel (1982)
- The Case of the Murdered Mackenzie (1984)
Short stories
- Departure and Other Stories (1938 First printing; renewed 1977)
- The First MenThe First Men"The First Men" is a 1960 science fiction short story by Howard Fast. It was first published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in February of 1960. It was later printed bundled with "The Martian Shop" in The Edge of Tomorrow...
(1960) - The Large Ant (1960)
- The Edge of Tomorrow (1961) (Science Fiction)
- Time and the Riddle: 31 Zen Stories (1975)
Filmography
- Mirage (1965) (based on the 1952 novel Fallen Angel, originally published under the pseudonym Walter Ericson)
- The Crossing (2000) (based on the 1971 novel The Crossing.)