Harold Sinclair (novelist)
Harold Sinclair (1907–1966) was an Illinois writer who produced several historical novels, including some about settler life in the Midwest. He was also a musician, and wrote about jazz and New Orleans. He was born on May 8, 1907, in Chicago.[1] At the age of eight he moved to Bloomington, Illinois. He dropped out of high school and traveled around the country, but eventually returned to live in Bloomington.[2] While working in a hardware store in Chicago, he wrote his first book (Journey Home, 1936).[3] The New York Times published a lengthy review of his second novel, American Years, in 1938.[4] It was the first of a trilogy about the town of Everton, Illinois, a fictional name for Bloomington. Roy W. Meyer said, "[Although n]ot properly a farm novel at all ... [t]here is a sense of authenticity in the account of the daily lives and concerns of these small town Illinois people".[5] In 1939 he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in creative writing.[3] His most well-known book, The Horse Soldiers (1956), was adapted and made into a film of the same name, directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne and William Holden.[6] Shortly before his death, Sinclair signed an option to have the sequel, The Cavalryman, made into a television series. (It was never produced.) He passed away on May 24, 1966, in Bloomington.[3]
Bibliography
[edit]- Journey Home, 1936 +
- Westward the Tide, 1940
- The Port of New Orleans, 1942 +
- Music Out of Dixie, 1953 +
- Mrs. Ives of Illinois
- Daily Pantagraph, 1846-1946
Everton Trilogy
[edit]- American Years, 1938 +
- Years of Growth, 1940
- Years of Illusion, 1941 +
About Benjamin Grierson
[edit]- The Horse Soldiers, 1956 +
- The Cavalryman, 1958
+ reviewed by The New York Times
Further reading
[edit]- Gary Heath, Harold Sinclair of Illinois: Letters, Biography, AuthorHouse, 2007
- Bill Kemp, Harold Sinclair Papers, Milner Library, Illinois State University
References
[edit]- ^ Ehrlich, Eugene and Gorton Carruth (1982). The Oxford Illustrated Literary Guide to the United States. New York: Oxford University Press.
- ^ "Harold Sinclair". Goodreads. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ a b c Obituary. New York Times. 25 May 1966. p. 47.
- ^ Young, Stanley (5 June 1938). A Rich Panorama of Pioneering. New York Times. p. 90.
- ^ Meyer, Roy W. (1965). The Middle Western Farm Novel in the Twentieth Century. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. p. 233.
- ^ Schenker, Charlie (7 December 2021). "McHistory: Noted author Harold Sinclair of Bloomington". WGLT.org. Illinois State University. Retrieved 12 August 2024.