Peter De Vries
Encyclopedia
Peter De Vries was an American
editor
and novelist known for his satiric wit. He has been described by the philosopher Daniel Dennett
as "probably the funniest writer on religion ever"
, Illinois
, in 1910. He was educated in Dutch Christian Reformed Church
schools, graduating from Calvin College
in Grand Rapids, Michigan
in 1931. He also studied at Northwestern University
. He supported himself with a number of different jobs, including those of vending machine
operator, toffee-apple salesman, radio actor in the 1930s, and editor for Poetry
magazine from 1938 to 1944.
He joined the staff of The New Yorker
magazine at the insistence of James Thurber
and worked there from 1944 to 1987, writing stories and touching up cartoon captions. He had four children with wife Katinka Loeser; Jon, Derek, Jan, and Emily, who died at the age of 10 of leukemia. This experience provided the inspiration for his 1961 work, The Blood of the Lamb.
A prolific writer, De Vries wrote short stories, reviews, poetry, essays, a play, novellas, and twenty-three novels. Films made from De Vries's novels include The Tunnel of Love
(1958), which also was a successful Broadway play; How Do I Love Thee? (1970, based on Let Me Count the Ways); Pete 'n' Tillie
(1972, based on Witch’s Milk); and Reuben, Reuben
(1970), which also inspired a Broadway play, Spofford. Although he enjoyed success for five decades, all his novels were out of print by the time of his death.
De Vries received an honorary degree in 1979 from Susquehanna University
. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in May 1983.
He died September 28, 1993, aged 83, in Norwalk, Connecticut
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
and novelist known for his satiric wit. He has been described by the philosopher Daniel Dennett
Daniel Dennett
Daniel Clement Dennett is an American philosopher, writer and cognitive scientist whose research centers on the philosophy of mind, philosophy of science and philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relate to evolutionary biology and cognitive science. He is currently the Co-director of...
as "probably the funniest writer on religion ever"
Biography
De Vries was born in ChicagoChicago
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...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, in 1910. He was educated in Dutch Christian Reformed Church
Christian Reformed Church in North America
The Christian Reformed Church in North America is a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. Having roots in the Dutch Reformed churches of the Netherlands, the Christian Reformed Church was founded by Gijsbert Haan and Dutch immigrants who left the Reformed Church in...
schools, graduating from Calvin College
Calvin College
Calvin College is a comprehensive liberal arts college located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1876, Calvin College is an educational institution of the Christian Reformed Church and stands in the Reformed tradition of Protestantism...
in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
in 1931. He also studied at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
. He supported himself with a number of different jobs, including those of vending machine
Vending machine
A vending machine is a machine which dispenses items such as snacks, beverages, alcohol, cigarettes, lottery tickets, consumer products and even gold and gems to customers automatically, after the customer inserts currency or credit into the machine....
operator, toffee-apple salesman, radio actor in the 1930s, and editor for Poetry
Poetry (magazine)
Poetry , published in Chicago, Illinois since 1912, is one of the leading monthly poetry journals in the English-speaking world. Published by the Poetry Foundation and currently edited by Christian Wiman, the magazine has a circulation of 30,000 and prints 300 poems per year out of approximately...
magazine from 1938 to 1944.
He joined the staff of The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
magazine at the insistence of James Thurber
James Thurber
James Grover Thurber was an American author, cartoonist and celebrated wit. Thurber was best known for his cartoons and short stories published in The New Yorker magazine.-Life:...
and worked there from 1944 to 1987, writing stories and touching up cartoon captions. He had four children with wife Katinka Loeser; Jon, Derek, Jan, and Emily, who died at the age of 10 of leukemia. This experience provided the inspiration for his 1961 work, The Blood of the Lamb.
A prolific writer, De Vries wrote short stories, reviews, poetry, essays, a play, novellas, and twenty-three novels. Films made from De Vries's novels include The Tunnel of Love
The Tunnel of Love
The Tunnel of Love is a 1958 romantic comedy film based on the Broadway hit by Peter De Vries and Joseph Fields. The film follows a married suburban couple who for reasons unknown, are unable to conceive a child and soon endure endless red tape on a path of adopting a child. The film is the first...
(1958), which also was a successful Broadway play; How Do I Love Thee? (1970, based on Let Me Count the Ways); Pete 'n' Tillie
Pete 'n' Tillie
Pete 'n' Tillie is a 1972 American comedy-drama film starring Walter Matthau and Carol Burnett in the title roles. Its advertising tagline was "Honeymoon's over...
(1972, based on Witch’s Milk); and Reuben, Reuben
Reuben, Reuben
Reuben, Reuben is a 1983 comedy drama film. It stars Tom Conti, Kelly McGillis, Roberts Blossom, Cynthia Harris, and Joel Fabiani.The film was adapted by Julius J. Epstein from the play Spofford by Herman Shumlin, which in turn was adapted from the novel Reuben, Reuben by Peter De Vries. It was...
(1970), which also inspired a Broadway play, Spofford. Although he enjoyed success for five decades, all his novels were out of print by the time of his death.
De Vries received an honorary degree in 1979 from Susquehanna University
Susquehanna University
Susquehanna University is a liberal arts college in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, United States, north of the state capital, Harrisburg.-Academics:...
. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in May 1983.
He died September 28, 1993, aged 83, in Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city is 85,603, making Norwalk sixth in population in Connecticut, and third in Fairfield County...
.
Works
- But Who Wakes the Bugler? (1940)
- The Handsome Heart (1943)
- Angels Can't Do Better (1944)
- No But I Saw the Movie (1952)
- The Tunnel of Love (1954)
- Comfort Me with Apples (1956)
- The Mackerel Plaza (1958)
- The Tents of Wickedness (1959)
- Through the Fields of Clover (1961)
- The Blood of the Lamb (1961)
- Reuben, Reuben (1964)
- Let Me Count the Ways (1965)
- The Vale of Laughter (1967)
- The Cat's Pajamas (1968)
- Witch's Milk (1968)
- Mrs. Wallop (1971)
- Into Your Tent I'll Creep (1971)
- Without A Stitch In Time (1972)
- Forever Panting (1973)
- The Glory Of The Hummingbird (1974)
- I Hear America Swinging (1976)
- Madder Music (1977)
- Consenting Adults; or, The Duchess Will Be Furious (1980)
- Sauce for the Goose (1981)
- Slouching Towards Kalamazoo (1983)
- The Prick of Noon (1985)
- Peckham's Marbles (1986)
External links
- "The Return of Peter De Vries" from Westport magazine