Mark Schorer | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1908-05-17)May 17, 1908 Sauk City, Wisconsin |
| Died | August 11, 1977(1977-08-11) (aged 69) Oakland, California |
| Occupation | Author |
| Alma mater | University of Wisconsin–Madison,Harvard University |
| Notable works | Sinclair Lewis: An American Life,Colonel Markesan and Less Pleasant People |
Mark Schorer (May 17, 1908 – August 11, 1977) was an Americanwriter,critic, and scholar born inSauk City, Wisconsin.[1]
Schorer earned an MA atHarvard and his Ph.D. in English at theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison in 1936.[2] During his academic career, he held positions atDartmouth, Harvard, and theUniversity of California, Berkeley, where he chaired the Department of English from 1960 to 1965.[3] A leading critic of his time, he was best known for his work,Sinclair Lewis: An American Life. Schorer was also the author of many short stories, which appeared in magazines such asThe New Yorker,Harpers,The Atlantic Monthly, andEsquire.[3]
Among his honors were three Guggenheim Fellowships, aFulbright professorship at theUniversity of Pisa and a fellowship at the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences atStanford. He also was elected to theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences, the most prestigious honor society for creative arts in the country.[3]
Schorer was called as an expert witness during the1957 obscenity trial over theAllen Ginsberg poemHowl, and testified in defense of the poem.[4] This incident is dramatized in the filmHowl (2010), in which Schorer is portrayed byTreat Williams.
In addition to his scholarly works, he also co-authored a series ofscience-fiction andhorror stories with writer, publisher and childhood friend (both being natives ofSauk City, Wisconsin)August Derleth. These stories, originally published mainly inWeird Tales magazine during the 1920s and 1930s, were eventually anthologized inColonel Markesan and Less Pleasant People (1966).[5][6]
Schorer died from a blood infection following bladder surgery inOakland, California at the age of 69.[7]
He began to publish stories in smaller magazines and work alongside his childhood friend, August Derleth, publishing articles in pulp magazines.
