Mark Harris (author)
Encyclopedia
Mark Harris was an American novel
ist, literary
biographer
, and educator.
to Carlyle and Ruth Klausner Finkelstein. He enlisted in the United States Army
in 1943 and was out by 1944 due to an honorable discharge after suffering from sustained severe anxiety.
in New York City
at The Daily Item
in 1944 and worked for PM
in 1945. He worked in St. Louis
at the International News Service
1945-1946. He also worked in Chicago
at Negro Digest and Ebony
before enrolling at the University of Denver
, from which he received a Master's degree
in 1951. He obtained a PhD
in American Studies
from the University of Minnesota
in 1956 and went on to teach at several universities, eventually settling at Arizona State
, where he was a professor
of English and taught in the creative writing
program from 1980 to 2001.
, Harris promoted his then-most-recent book in a TV appearance as guest contestant in "You Bet Your Life
", the game played on The Groucho Show.
In the first chapter of his 1961 classic The Rhetoric of Fiction, Wayne C. Booth
quotes the "fine young novelist" Harris as saying "You will no more expect the novelist to tell you precisely how something is said than you will expect him to stand by your chair and hold your book".
His last works dealt humorously with the ambitions of a would-be novelist (The Tale Maker) and to a lesser extent with Hitler's preoccupation with the recovery from Vienna
of the talismanic spear supposed to have been used on the body of the dying Christ
(The Spear of Destiny).
In 1996 Something about a Soldier was adapted to the stage by Ernest Kinoy
and produced by the Theater Guild. Later, the movie and novel of Bang the Drum Slowly
was adapted in 1992 into a stage play at the Next Theatre in Evanston, Illinois
.
His nephew (the son of Harris's sister Martha Finkelstein) is the writer Saïd Sayrafiezadeh
, author of the memoir When Skateboards Will Be Free: A Memoir of a Political Childhood.http://www.salon.com/books/review/2009/03/31/family_memoirs/index.html
Harris died of complications of Alzheimer's disease
at Santa Barbara
Cottage Hospital at age 84. He was survived by his wife, Josephine Horen; his sister, Martha; two sons, one daughter, and three grandchildren.
players: The Southpaw
(1953), Bang the Drum Slowly
(1956), A Ticket for a Seamstitch (1957), and It Looked Like For Ever (1979). Written in the vernacular
, the books are the account of Henry "Author" Wiggen, a pitcher
for the fictional New York Mammoths. In 1956, Bang the Drum Slowly was adapted for an installment of the dramatic television anthology series The United States Steel Hour
; the production starred Paul Newman
as Wiggen and Albert Salmi
as doomed catcher
Bruce Pearson. The novel also became a major motion picture
in 1973, with a screenplay written by Harris, directed by John D. Hancock
and featuring Michael Moriarty
as Wiggen and Robert De Niro
as Pearson.
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, literary
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
biographer
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
, and educator.
Early life
Harris was born Mark Harris Finklestein in Mount Vernon, New YorkMount Vernon, New York
Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It lies on the border of the New York City borough of The Bronx.-Overview:...
to Carlyle and Ruth Klausner Finkelstein. He enlisted in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in 1943 and was out by 1944 due to an honorable discharge after suffering from sustained severe anxiety.
Reporter
Harris worked as a journalistJournalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
in New York City
New 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...
at The Daily Item
The Journal News
The Journal News is a newspaper in New York serving the suburban New York City counties of Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam, a region known as the Lower Hudson Valley. It is owned by the Gannett Company, Inc. The Journal News was created through a merger of several daily community newspapers...
in 1944 and worked for PM
PM (newspaper)
PM was a leftist New York City daily newspaper published by Ralph Ingersoll from June 1940 to June 1948 and bankrolled by the eccentric Chicago millionaire Marshall Field III....
in 1945. He worked in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
at the International News Service
International News Service
International News Service was a U.S.-based news agency founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.Established two years after the Scripps family founded the United Press Association, INS scrapped among the newswires...
1945-1946. He also worked in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
at Negro Digest and Ebony
Ebony (magazine)
Ebony, a monthly magazine for the African-American market, was founded by John H. Johnson and has published continuously since the autumn of 1945...
before enrolling at the University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
, from which he received a Master's degree
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in 1951. He obtained a PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in American Studies
American studies
American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the study of the United States. It traditionally incorporates the study of history, literature, and critical theory, but also includes fields as diverse as law, art, the media, film, religious studies, urban...
from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in 1956 and went on to teach at several universities, eventually settling at Arizona State
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
, where he was a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of English and taught in the creative writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
program from 1980 to 2001.
Writing career
His first novel, Trumpet to the World, the story of a young black soldier married to a white woman who is put on trial for striking back at a white officer, was published in 1946, and he continued to produce novels and contribute to periodicals through the years. In 1960, while in his first college teaching position, at San Francisco State CollegeSan Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
, Harris promoted his then-most-recent book in a TV appearance as guest contestant in "You Bet Your Life
You Bet Your Life
You Bet Your Life is an American quiz show that aired on both radio and television. The original and best-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show debuted on ABC Radio in October 1947, then moved to CBS Radio in September...
", the game played on The Groucho Show.
In the first chapter of his 1961 classic The Rhetoric of Fiction, Wayne C. Booth
Wayne C. Booth
Wayne Clayson Booth was an American literary critic. He was the George M. Pullman Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in English Language & Literature and the College at the University of Chicago...
quotes the "fine young novelist" Harris as saying "You will no more expect the novelist to tell you precisely how something is said than you will expect him to stand by your chair and hold your book".
His last works dealt humorously with the ambitions of a would-be novelist (The Tale Maker) and to a lesser extent with Hitler's preoccupation with the recovery from Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
of the talismanic spear supposed to have been used on the body of the dying Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
(The Spear of Destiny).
In 1996 Something about a Soldier was adapted to the stage by Ernest Kinoy
Ernest Kinoy
-Early life:Kinoy was born in New York City on April 1, 1925; his father and mother were both high-school teachers. His older brother Arthur Kinoy later became a leading constitutional lawyer. Kinoy attended the Ethical Culture Fieldston School and later Columbia University, although his studies...
and produced by the Theater Guild. Later, the movie and novel of Bang the Drum Slowly
Bang the Drum Slowly
Bang the Drum Slowly is a novel by Mark Harris, a sequel to The Southpaw . It was first published in 1956, and was later made into a 1956 U.S...
was adapted in 1992 into a stage play at the Next Theatre in Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
.
His nephew (the son of Harris's sister Martha Finkelstein) is the writer Saïd Sayrafiezadeh
Saïd Sayrafiezadeh
Saïd Sayrafiezadeh is an American playwright and author living in New York City. He won a 2010 Whiting Writers' Award.-Background:...
, author of the memoir When Skateboards Will Be Free: A Memoir of a Political Childhood.http://www.salon.com/books/review/2009/03/31/family_memoirs/index.html
Harris died of complications of Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
at Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
Cottage Hospital at age 84. He was survived by his wife, Josephine Horen; his sister, Martha; two sons, one daughter, and three grandchildren.
Career
Harris was best known for a quartet of novels about baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
players: The Southpaw
The Southpaw
The Southpaw was the first of the Henry Wiggen baseball novels by Mark Harris, published in 1953. Wiggen, star pitcher and narrator of the novel, tells of his early years in baseball and his debut with the New York Mammoths. It was followed by Bang the Drum Slowly ....
(1953), Bang the Drum Slowly
Bang the Drum Slowly
Bang the Drum Slowly is a novel by Mark Harris, a sequel to The Southpaw . It was first published in 1956, and was later made into a 1956 U.S...
(1956), A Ticket for a Seamstitch (1957), and It Looked Like For Ever (1979). Written in the vernacular
Vernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
, the books are the account of Henry "Author" Wiggen, a pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
for the fictional New York Mammoths. In 1956, Bang the Drum Slowly was adapted for an installment of the dramatic television anthology series The United States Steel Hour
The United States Steel Hour
The United States Steel Hour is an anthology series which brought hour-long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation....
; the production starred Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
as Wiggen and Albert Salmi
Albert Salmi
Albert Salmi was an American actor.-Biography:Albert Salmi was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Finnish immigrant parents, and following a stint in the Army, took up acting as a career, studying Method acting with Lee Strasberg. In 1955, Salmi starred in Bus Stop on Broadway...
as doomed catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
Bruce Pearson. The novel also became a major motion picture
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
in 1973, with a screenplay written by Harris, directed by John D. Hancock
John D. Hancock
John D. Hancock is an American stage and film director, producer and writer. He is the son of Ralph and Ella Mae Rosenthal Hancock. His father was a musician with the NBC Symphony Orchestra in Chicago, Illinois and his mother a school teacher. Hancock spent his youth between their home in...
and featuring Michael Moriarty
Michael Moriarty
Michael Moriarty is an American-Canadian actor of stage and screen, and a jazz musician. He played Benjamin Stone for four seasons on the TV series Law & Order.-Early life:...
as Wiggen and Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
as Pearson.
Novels
- Trumpet to the World (1946)
- The SouthpawThe SouthpawThe Southpaw was the first of the Henry Wiggen baseball novels by Mark Harris, published in 1953. Wiggen, star pitcher and narrator of the novel, tells of his early years in baseball and his debut with the New York Mammoths. It was followed by Bang the Drum Slowly ....
(1953) - Bang the Drum SlowlyBang the Drum SlowlyBang the Drum Slowly is a novel by Mark Harris, a sequel to The Southpaw . It was first published in 1956, and was later made into a 1956 U.S...
(1956) - Something about a Soldier (1957)
- A Ticket for a Seamstitch (1957)
- Wake Up, Stupid (1959)
- The Goy (1970)
- Killing Everybody (1973)
- It Looked Like Forever (1979)
- Lying In Bed (1984)
- Speed (1990)
- The Tale Maker (1994)
- Hitler and the spear of destiny (1996)
Nonfiction
- City of Discontent: An Interpretive BiographyBiographyA biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
of Vachel LindsayVachel LindsayNicholas Vachel Lindsay was an American poet. He is considered the father of modern singing poetry, as he referred to it, in which verses are meant to be sung or chanted...
(1952) - Mark the Glove Boy, or The Last Days of Richard NixonRichard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
(1964) - Twentyone Twice: A Journal (1966)
- Best Father Ever Invented: The AutobiographyAutobiographyAn autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
Of Mark Harris (1976) - Saul BellowSaul BellowSaul Bellow was a Canadian-born Jewish American writer. For his literary contributions, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts...
: Drumlin Woodchuck (1980) - Diamond - The Baseball Writings of Mark Harris (collection, 1994)
As editor
- Selected Poems of Vachel Lindsay (1963)
- The Heart of BoswellJames BoswellJames Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck was a lawyer, diarist, and author born in Edinburgh, Scotland; he is best known for the biography he wrote of one of his contemporaries, the English literary figure Samuel Johnson....
: Six Journals in One Volume (1981)
External links
- The Mark Harris Papers, 1937 - 1982 at the University of Delaware.
- The Mark Harris Papers Supplement, 1958 - 2002 at the University of Delaware.