Tarkington, Booth

Tarkington, Booth

▪ American writer

born July 29, 1869, Indianapolis, Ind., U.S.
died May 19, 1946, Indianapolis
 American novelist and dramatist, best-known for his satirical and sometimes romanticized pictures of American Midwesterners.

      Tarkington studied at Purdue and Princeton universities but took no degree. A versatile and prolific writer, he won early recognition with the melodramatic novel The Gentleman from Indiana (1899), reflecting his disillusionment with the corruption in the lawmaking process he was to observe firsthand as a member of the Indiana legislature (1902–03). His immensely popular romance Monsieur Beaucaire (1900) he later adapted for the stage. His humorous portrayals of boyhood and adolescence, Penrod (1914), Penrod and Sam (1916), Seventeen (1917), and Gentle Julia (1922), became young-people's classics. He was equally successful with his portrayals of Midwestern life and character: The Turmoil (1915); The Magnificent Ambersons (1918; filmed 1941 by Orson Welles), and The Midlander (1924), the last two combined as Growth (1927); and The Plutocrat (1927). Alice Adams (1921), a searching character study, is perhaps his most finished novel. He continued his delineations of female character in Claire Ambler (1928), Mirthful Haven (1930), and Presenting Lily Mars (1933) and wrote several domestic novels in his later years. He also wrote many plays.

      Tarkington was one of the most popular American novelists of the early 20th century: from The Two Vanrevels (1902) to Mary's Neck (1932) his novels appeared on annual best-seller lists nine times. Tarkington possessed an informal, charming style and a gift for characterization. His critical vision was obscured by a tendency toward sentimental melodrama, however.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Tarkington, Booth — (1869 1946)    Best known for his novels, Newton Booth Tarkington, born in Indianapolis, Indiana, also wrote plays and some of his novels were adapted for the stage. Twenty one Tarkington plays were produced, and he was viewed as a romantic with… …   The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater

  • Tarkington, Booth — ► (1869 1946) Novelista y dramaturgo estadounidense. Autor de El esplendor de los Ambersons …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Tarkington, Booth —    см. Таркингтон, Бут …   Писатели США. Краткие творческие биографии

  • Tarkington — Tarkington, Booth …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Booth Tarkington — Born July 29, 1869(1869 07 29) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. Died May 19, 1946( …   Wikipedia

  • Booth Tarkington — Newton Booth Tarkington (n. 29 de julio de 1869, Indianápolis, Indiana, Estados Unidos m. 19 de mayo de 1946, Indianápolis), novelista y dramaturgo estadounidense. Famoso por sus conceptualizaciones satíricas y algunas veces románticas de las… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Booth Tarkington — (um 1910) Newton Booth Tarkington (* 29. Juli 1869 in Indianapolis, Indiana; † 19. Mai 1946 ebenda) war ein US amerikanischer Schriftsteller …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Booth Tarkington — Nom de naissance Newton Booth Tarkington Activités Écrivain Naissance 29 juillet 1869 Décès 19 mai 1946 Langue d écriture anglais Distinctions …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Tarkington — is a name, which was used by the Vikings, an ancient Scandinavian people who migrated to England and then to the U.S.. They settled in Maryland, then Virginia, and later moved to Tyrrell County, North Carolina. Later they migirated to Texas and… …   Wikipedia

  • Booth — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Booth puede referirse a: Contenido 1 Personas 1.1 Botánicos 2 Arte 3 Lugares …   Wikipedia Español

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”