W. M. Spackman
Encyclopedia
William Mode Spackman was an American
writer
. He was born in Coatesville, Pennsylvania
, the son of George Harvey Spackman and Alice Pennock Mode. A graduate of the Friends School of Wilmington, Delaware
and in 1927 of Princeton University
(B.A.; later also an M.A.), he was also a Rhodes Scholar at Balliol College, Oxford. In 1929, he married Mary Ann Matthews (1902-1978); they had three children: Peter (1930-1995), Ann (1932-1961), and Harriet (born 1934). Spackman was awarded a Rockefeller Fellowship to study public opinion at Columbia University
. Spackman also taught classics briefly at New York University
and worked in radio.
Spackman's literary success came relatively late in life. He wrote about romance from a realistic rather than a romantic perspective. Highly praised by critics like John Leonard
, John Updike
, and Stanley Elkin
, he has been called a "Fabergé of novelists" and his works have been called "delicate comedies." The characters in his novels are school friends, their associations, often in New York City
, and the women with whom they spent time.
He was the author of:
He was also the author of a collection of essays entitled On the Decay of Humanism.
Typescript drafts, revisions, and galley proofs of three of his novels have been deposited in the archives of the Princeton University Library.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. He was born in Coatesville, Pennsylvania
Coatesville, Pennsylvania
Coatesville is the only city in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,100 at the 2010 census. Coatesville is approximately 39 miles west of Philadelphia....
, the son of George Harvey Spackman and Alice Pennock Mode. A graduate of the Friends School of Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
and in 1927 of Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
(B.A.; later also an M.A.), he was also a Rhodes Scholar at Balliol College, Oxford. In 1929, he married Mary Ann Matthews (1902-1978); they had three children: Peter (1930-1995), Ann (1932-1961), and Harriet (born 1934). Spackman was awarded a Rockefeller Fellowship to study public opinion at 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...
. Spackman also taught classics briefly at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and worked in radio.
Spackman's literary success came relatively late in life. He wrote about romance from a realistic rather than a romantic perspective. Highly praised by critics like John Leonard
John Leonard
John Leonard may refer to:* John Leonard , American literary, television, film, and cultural critic* John Leonard , Australian poet* John Leonard , Gaelic footballer...
, John Updike
John Updike
John Hoyer Updike was an American novelist, poet, short story writer, art critic, and literary critic....
, and Stanley Elkin
Stanley Elkin
Stanley Lawrence Elkin was a Jewish American novelist, short story writer, and essayist. His extravagant, satirical fiction revolves around American consumerism, popular culture, and male-female relationships.-Biography:...
, he has been called a "Fabergé of novelists" and his works have been called "delicate comedies." The characters in his novels are school friends, their associations, often 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...
, and the women with whom they spent time.
He was the author of:
- An Armful of Warm Girl
- A Difference in Design
- A Little Decorum
- Heyday
- A Presence with Secrets (1980)
- As I Sauntered Out, on Mid-Century Morning
- The Complete Fiction of W.M. Spackman (Dalkey Archive Press, 1997)
He was also the author of a collection of essays entitled On the Decay of Humanism.
Typescript drafts, revisions, and galley proofs of three of his novels have been deposited in the archives of the Princeton University Library.