Ronald Verlin Cassill
Encyclopedia
Ronald Verlin Cassill, usually called R. V. Cassill, (May 17, 1919 – March 25, 2002) was a prolific American
novelist, short story
writer, reviewer, editor
, painter
, and lithographer
.
, Cassill earned a B.A.
in art
at The University of Iowa
in 1939 where he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. He also earned his M.A.
at Iowa in 1947. Between earning his B.A. and M.A., Cassill served in the United States Army
, from 1942 to 1946 where he served in the south Pacific
and attained the rank
of Lieutenant
. He briefly served as an instructor at The University of Iowa before attending the Sorbonne
for a year as a Fulbright Fellow beginning in 1952. Cassill worked as an editor for the Western Review of Iowa City from 1951 to 1952, Collier's Encyclopedia
from 1953 to 1954, and Dude and Gent in 1958.
Cassill became a lecturer at both Columbia University
and the New School for Social Research in 1957 until he returned to the University of Iowa in the same capacity in 1960 where he would teach for a few years at the Iowa Writer's Workshop. Among some of the students who took classes with Cassill at the Iowa Writer's Workshop during this time, and would later go on to achieve some measure of acclaim, included Clark Blaise
, Raymond Carver
, and Joy Williams
. His next position was as writer-in-residence at Purdue University
from 1965 to 1966. Cassill was appointed Associate Professor at Brown University
in 1966 and then to Professor of English in 1972 where he remained until his retired from teaching as Professor emeritus
in 1983. In addition to his teaching Cassill served as U.S. Information Service lecturer in Europe
from 1975 to 1976. Cassill was also a painter
and lithographer, mounting exhibitions in Chicago in 1946 and 1948 as well as in New York
in 1970.
Cassill's papers are archived at the Mugar Memorial Library at Boston University
.
Cassill received the Atlantic Monthly's "Firsts" prize for a short story in 1947. He was given a Rockefeller
grant in 1954 and a Guggenheim Fellowship
in 1968.
. A preoccupation with the fates of couples, in alienation and union, is exhibited in much of his fiction, as is the warring of emotional and rational impulses in individuals and pairs. A strong visual identification is intrinsic in his prose, likely due to his training as a visual artist. His most famous novels were Doctor Cobb's Game and Clem Anderson but the sheer breadth of his writing and his pervasive influence as a teacher have secured Cassill's legacy in modern fiction.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist, 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, reviewer, 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...
, painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, and lithographer
Lithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
.
Biography
Born in 1919 in Cedar Falls, IowaCedar Falls, Iowa
Cedar Falls is a city in Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States, and it is home to one of Iowa's three public universities, the University of Northern Iowa. The population was 39,260 in the 2010 census, an increase from the 36,145 population in the 2000 census...
, Cassill earned a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
at The University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
in 1939 where he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. He also earned his M.A.
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...
at Iowa in 1947. Between earning his B.A. and M.A., Cassill served 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...
, from 1942 to 1946 where he served in the south Pacific
Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
and attained the rank
Military rank
Military rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms...
of Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. He briefly served as an instructor at The University of Iowa before attending the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
for a year as a Fulbright Fellow beginning in 1952. Cassill worked as an editor for the Western Review of Iowa City from 1951 to 1952, Collier's Encyclopedia
Collier's Encyclopedia
P.F. Collier & Son Company published Collier's New Encyclopedia from 1902–1929, initially in 16 volumes and later in 10 volumes.Collier's 11 volume National Encyclopedia replaced Collier's New Encyclopedia....
from 1953 to 1954, and Dude and Gent in 1958.
Cassill became a lecturer at both Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and the New School for Social Research in 1957 until he returned to the University of Iowa in the same capacity in 1960 where he would teach for a few years at the Iowa Writer's Workshop. Among some of the students who took classes with Cassill at the Iowa Writer's Workshop during this time, and would later go on to achieve some measure of acclaim, included Clark Blaise
Clark Blaise
Clark Blaise, OC is a Canadian author.Born in Fargo, North Dakota, he currently lives in San Francisco, California. He has been married since 1963 to writer Bharati Mukherjee. They have two sons. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa, Blaise was also the director of...
, Raymond Carver
Raymond Carver
Raymond Clevie Carver, Jr. was an American short story writer and poet. Carver is considered a major American writer of the late 20th century and also a major force in the revitalization of the short story in the 1980s....
, and Joy Williams
Joy Williams
Joy Williams is an American singer-songwriter and a member of the folk duo The Civil Wars.-Studio albums:* Joy Williams, 2001 [Reunion]* By Surprise, 2002 [Reunion]* Genesis, 2005 [Reunion]...
. His next position was as writer-in-residence at Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
from 1965 to 1966. Cassill was appointed Associate Professor at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
in 1966 and then to Professor of English in 1972 where he remained until his retired from teaching as Professor emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
in 1983. In addition to his teaching Cassill served as U.S. Information Service lecturer in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
from 1975 to 1976. Cassill was also a painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and lithographer, mounting exhibitions in Chicago in 1946 and 1948 as well as in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1970.
Cassill's papers are archived at the Mugar Memorial Library at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
.
Awards
In 1995 the American Academy of Arts and Letters awarded Cassill the Academy Award for Literature.Cassill received the Atlantic Monthly's "Firsts" prize for a short story in 1947. He was given a Rockefeller
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
grant in 1954 and a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
in 1968.
Work
Cassill's extremely prolific career and wide array of interests make it difficult to summarize the thematic nature and concerns of his work. His stories and novels concern bucolic life in the midwest, the life of the artist or academic, and at times extend into autobiographyAutobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
. A preoccupation with the fates of couples, in alienation and union, is exhibited in much of his fiction, as is the warring of emotional and rational impulses in individuals and pairs. A strong visual identification is intrinsic in his prose, likely due to his training as a visual artist. His most famous novels were Doctor Cobb's Game and Clem Anderson but the sheer breadth of his writing and his pervasive influence as a teacher have secured Cassill's legacy in modern fiction.
Novels
- The Eagle on the Coin (1950)
- Dormitory Women (1953)
- The Left Bank of Desire (1955) (with Eric Protter)
- A Taste of Sin (1955)
- The Hungering Shame (1956)
- The Wound of Love (1956)
- An Affair to Remember (1957) (as Owen Aherne)
- Naked Morning (1957)
- Man on Fire (1957) (as Owen Aherne)
- The Buccaneer (1958)
- Lustful Summer (1958)
- The Tempest (1959)
- The Wife Next Door (1960)
- Clem Anderson (1960)
- My Sister's Keeper (1961)
- Night School (1961)
- Nurses' Quarters (1962)
- Pretty Leslie (1963)
- The President (1964)
- La Vie Passionée of Rodney Buckthorne: A Tale of the Great American's Last Rally and Curious Death (1968)
- Doctor Cobb's Game (1969)
- The Goss Women (1974)
- Hoyt's Child (1976)
- Labors of Love (1980)
- Flame (1980)
- After Goliath (1985)
- The Unknown Soldier (1991)
Short stories
- 15 x 3 (1957) (with Herbert Gold and James B. Hall)
- The Father and Other Stories (1965)
- The Happy Marriage and Other Stories (1965)
- Three Stories (1982)
- Patrimonies (1988)
- Collected Stories (1989)
Other
- The General Said "Nuts" (1955)
- Writing Fiction (1975)
- In an Iron Time: Statements and Reiterations: Essays (1967)
- Intro 1-3 (1968–1970) (editor)
- Intro 4 (1972) (editor, with Walton Beacham)
- Norton Anthology of Short Fiction (1978–2001) (editor)
- Norton Anthology of Contemporary Fiction (1998) (editor with Joyce Carol OatesJoyce Carol OatesJoyce Carol Oates is an American author. Oates published her first book in 1963 and has since published over fifty novels, as well as many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction...
)
External links
- Interview with Cassill from 1999