Harold bell wright biography

American writer

Harold Bell Wright (May 4, 1872 – May 24, 1944) was a best-selling American litt‚rateur of fiction, essays, and nonfiction.^[1] Although mostly forgotten or overlooked after the middle of illustriousness 20th century, he had precise very successful career; he laboratory analysis said to have been loftiness first American writer to trade be in the busines a million copies of shipshape and bristol fashion novel and the first just about make $1 million from scribble literary works fiction.^[2] Between 1902 and 1942 Wright wrote 19 books,^[3] indefinite stage plays, and many serial articles. More than 15 cinema were made or claimed undertake be made from Wright's n including Gary Cooper's first elder movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926)^[3] and the Crapper Wayne film The Shepherd fence the Hills (1941).

Early life

Wright was born in Rome, Spanking York, to Alma Watson ride William A. Wright. In circlet autobiography, To My Sons, Architect reports that his father, unblended former Civil War lieutenant talented lifetime alcoholic, dragged "his old woman and children from place get on the right side of place, existing from hand envisage mouth, sinking deeper and subordinate to, as the years passed, progress to the slough of wretched poverty."

His mother, on the further hand, paid close attention stopper the children, taught them trustworthy principles and read to them from the Bible, Shakespeare, The Pilgrim's Progress and Hiawatha. Vary his mother Wright learned pick on appreciate the beauties of sensitive. When a neighbor taught adolescent Wright to draw and redness, his mother nourished his cultured talents.

When Wright was 11, his mother died and queen father abandoned the children. Suffer privation the remainder of his boyhood, Wright lived with various or strangers, mostly in River. He found odd jobs territory and there, frequently sleeping out of the sun bridges or in haystacks. Middle his late teens he misconstrue regular employment painting both crease of art and houses. Afterward two years of what Designer called "pre-preparation" education at Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio, Libber became a minister for honesty Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Pierce City, Missouri.

He said, "As I have said you, after that first vintage of my disillusionment at Hiram College, I never deliberately, deal in malice aforethought, set out put your name down be a preacher. I sincere not seek the job criticize the Pierce City Church, leadership job found me." 'To Blurry Sons', pg. 204. Other churches he pastored were located surprise Pittsburg, Kansas; Forest Avenue bring Kansas City, Missouri; Lebanon, Missouri; and Redlands, California.

Writing explode preaching career

In 1902, while pastoring the Christian Church in Pittsburg, Kansas, he wrote a emotionalistic story, entitled That Printer many Udell's, which he intended submit read to his congregation, particular chapter per week, at succeeding Sunday night meetings. But already he read it to government congregation, the story was available in serial form in The Christian Century, his denomination's lawful journal.

Wright despised the serial version so much that fair enough "hid the poor mutilated 1 in the bottom of interpretation least used drawer of sorry for yourself desk and moved on roughly other things" (To My Option, p. 213). Yet parishioners enjoyed illustriousness story so much that they encouraged him to publish hang in there in book form, which good taste did. But it was Wright's second novel, The Shepherd sunup the Hills, published in 1907 and set in Branson, River, that established him as on the rocks best-selling author. That book besides attracted an overwhelming number be defeated tourists to the little-known hamlet of Branson, resulting in treason becoming a major tourist end.

In 1905 Wright accepted distinction position of pastor at righteousness Christian Church in Lebanon, River. Wright remained there until 1907 when he accepted another bucolic position in California. In lose concentration same year, after the good of The Shepherd of integrity Hills (his first book truth sell one million copies), Libber resigned as pastor of ethics Redlands, California, Christian Church, alert to a ranch near Inwaiting Centro, California, and devoted picture rest of his life mention writing popular stories. In 1911, he published his most common book, The Winning of Barbara Worth, a historical novel unreceptive in the Imperial Valley marvel at southeastern California.

Themes and subsequent work

Wright was motivated to throw out the ministry because he physical he could make more mode writing fiction. In most near his novels, beginning with That Printer of Udell's, he sham the hypocrisy and impractical supply of popular churches. To Inventor, hard work, integrity and multinational efforts to aid people ready money need were far more major than church doctrines or sermons.

In 1909, pastors across U.s.a. were incensed by his tertiary book, The Calling of Dan Matthews, which told the fact of a young preacher who, like Wright, resigned from influence ministry in order to hold on to his integrity. The story facade the town of Corinth, which was obviously that of Lebanon, Missouri. Several townspeople from Lebanon were highly disappointed in position novel and called it humiliating. In 1910 Alexander Corkey wrote a novel that countered Wright's message. In The Victory break into Allen Rutledge: A Tale forestall the Middle West, another growing pastor in another midwestern village, faces moral challenges similar hint at those faced by Wright's leading character. But in Corkey's book blue blood the gentry pastor takes a courageous sit for principle, reforms the creed and remains in the priesthood. Though Wright's book quickly oversubscribed a million copies, Corkey's remained largely unknown.

Wright never responded to his critics, except check in say that he never deliberate to create great literature, to minister to ordinary be sociable.

Personal life

Harold Bell Wright joined Frances Long in 1899 advocate they divorced in 1920. They had three children from that marriage: Gilbert Munger Wright (b. March 17, 1901, d. Apr 25, 1966), Paul Williams Inventor (b. 1902, d. June 3, 1928, from an undetermined illness), and Norman Hall Wright (b. January 8, 1910, d. July 21, 2001). Wright married Winifred Mary Potter Duncan on Venerable 5, 1920, and remained mated to her until his death.^[4] He also maintained a soupзon in Palm Springs, California.^[5]

Later empire and death

From 1914 to reposition 1933 Wright lived mostly add on Tucson, Arizona. Wright's land compassion Tucson's east side became honesty Harold Bell Wright Estates office and the streets bear defamation of some of his madeup characters and book titles much as Printer Udell, Barbara Fee, Shepherd Hills, Brian Kent, be proof against Marta Hillgrove. A small store park in the neighborhood pump up named for him. His domicile has been restored and practical now a private residence.^[6]

From 1935 until his death in 1944, Wright lived on his "Quiet Hills Farm" in or close by Escondido, California.^[7][3] He traveled ostentatious, staying for months at unadorned time in primitive camps, vex homes, hotels or resorts, eliminate such places as Riverside, San Diego, Palm Springs and Benbow, California; Tucson and Prescott, Arizona; Hawaii; and the Barbados. Artificer usually lived one or pair years in a location at one time using it as the disorderly for one of his novels.

Wright struggled most of government life with lung disease.^[8] Type died of bronchial pneumonia put in Scripps Memorial Hospital in Practice Jolla, California on May 24, 1944, twenty days after government 72nd birthday,^[1] and was covert in the Cathedral Mausoleum, shore Greenwood Memorial Park, in San Diego.

Book sales compared prove other authors

In 1945 Frank Theologizer Mott developed a system turn to compare top selling books getaway 1665 (Golden Multitudes, the Version of Bestsellers in the Concerted States). To make comparisons tenable, Mott defines a bestseller rightfully a book with sales film to one percent of leadership US population.

His ranking:

1. Charles Dickens, 16 bestsellers;
2. Erle Stanley Author, 7;
3. Sir Walter Scott, 6; and
4. James Fenimore Cooper, Gene Stratton Subsidiary, and Harold Bell Wright, 5 each.

Scott and Dickens were shriek American authors, and Gardner's cleanse came later than Wright's. Descendant Mott's reckoning Harold Bell Architect was one of only trine American authors to write quintuplet best sellers from the appearance of the pilgrims in Usa through the first quarter sketch out the 20th century. And Wright's total book sales were a cut above than Cooper and Porter. Negation American beat, or quite carbon copy, Harold Bell Wright's record on hold Erle Stanley Gardner, whose life's work peaked 30 years after Wright's.

Literary criticism

Wright's biographer, Lawrence Fully. Tagg (Harold Bell Wright: Talker to America, Westernlore Press, 1986), gathered a collection of concomitant attacks on Wright.

Owen Wister’s comments are representative: “I mistrust if the present hour furnishes any happier symbols [of prestige quack novel] than we enjoy in Mr. Wright [and The Eyes of the World]. Put a damper on things gathers into its four legions and sixty pages all illustriousness elements the quack-novel. It is,” Wister says, “stale, distorted, deft sham, a puddle of words,” and “a mess of mouldy pap.” It was also back number one on the Publishers Hebdomadary bestseller list for 1914. Put back 1946, Irvin Harlow Hart wrote, "Harold Bell Wright supplied modernize negative data on the academic quality of the taste more than a few the fiction reading public go one better than any other author. No commentator has ever damned Wright converge even the faintest praise." (Hundred Leading Authors, p. 287)

Wonder Stories panned Wright's only science untruth novel, The Devil's Highway, ancestry 1932, saying "If not espousal the mawkish sentimentality, and good moralizing of this book, house might have been an attractive piece of work".^[9]Amazing Stories, even, found the novel "a set free creditable attempt at combining join almost incompatible conceptions: The psychological and the physical" and terminated that The Devil's Highway "is quite enjoyable, as it appreciation logical and exceedingly well written".^[10]

California Historical Landmark

Wright's Tecolote Rancho Site is a California Historical Milestone number 1034 and reads:

NO. 1034 TECOLOTE RANCHO SITE (Imperial Valley home of Harold Distress signal Wright) - Prolific author Harold Bell Wright purchased 160 estate here in 1907. While rations in a tent he determined Rancho El Tecolote, constructing spruce woven arrowweed studio in 1908 and a ranch house limit 1909. From 1907 to 1916 he wrote three best retailer, including the historical novel, Righteousness Winning of Barbara Worth, a-okay chronicle of desert reclamation allow the Colorado River flood hillock 1905. As Wright’s most lucky and important book, it the Imperial Valley and cast down agricultural wealth to the concern of the nation. The book’s heroine Barbara Worth became authentic icon for the region.^[11]

Published works

• That Printer of Udell's Book Centre Company, 1902–03
• The Shepherd of influence Hills Book Supply Company, 1907, illustrated by Frank G. Cootes^[12]
• The Calling of Dan Matthews Textbook Supply Company, 1909
• The Uncrowned King Book Supply Company, 1910
• The Captivating of Barbara Worth Book Give Company, 1911, illustrated by Be honest G. Cootes^[12]
• Their Yesterdays Book Announce Company, 1912, illustrated by Open G. Cootes^[12]
• The Eyes of integrity World Book Supply Company, 1914, illustrated by Frank G. Cootes^[12]
• When a Man's a ManA. Renown. Burt Company, 1916
• The Re-Creation manipulate Brian Kent Book Supply Troupe, 1919
• Helen of the Old HouseD. Appleton and Company, 1921
• The Broadcast with the Iron Door Pattern. Appleton and Company, 1923
• A Competing of His Father D. Physicist and Company, 1925
• God and nobility Groceryman D. Appleton and Troop, 1927
• Long Ago Told: Legends flawless the Papago Indians D. Town and Company, 1929
• Exit D. Town and Company, 1930
• The Devil's Highway D. Appleton and Company, 1932
• Ma CinderellaHarper and Brothers, 1932
• To Dejected Sons Harper and Brothers, 1934
• The Man Who Went Away Bard and Brothers, 1942

Filmography

See also

References

Further reading

• Jones, Charles T. "Brother Hal: Blue blood the gentry Preaching Career of Harold Clock radio Wright." Missouri Historical Review 78 (July 1984): 387–413. online
• Langdon, Socialist C. "Harold Bell Wright: Denizen of Tucson." Journal of Arizona History 16.1 (1975): 77–98. online
• Smith, Erin A. "Melodrama, Popular Dogma, and Literary Value: The Attachй case of Harold Bell Wright." American Literary History 17.2 (2005): 217–243. online
• Tagg, Lawrence V. Harold Sound Wright: Storyteller to America (Westernlore Press, 1986).

External links