Peter De Vries (February 27, 1910 – September 28, 1993) was an American editor and
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...
in 1931. He also studied at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
. He supported himself with a number of different jobs, including those of
vending machine
A vending machine is an automated machine that provides items such as snacks, beverages, cigarettes, and lottery tickets to consumers after cash, a credit card, or other forms of payment are inserted into the machine or otherwise made. The ...
operator, toffee-apple salesman, radio actor in the 1930s, and editor for ''
Poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...
'' magazine from 1938 to 1944.
He joined the staff of ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' magazine at the insistence of
James Thurber
James Grover Thurber (December 8, 1894 – November 2, 1961) was an American cartoonist, writer, humorist, journalist and playwright. He was best known for his cartoons and short stories, published mainly in ''The New Yorker'' and collected ...
and worked there from 1944 to 1987, writing stories and touching up cartoon captions. A prolific writer, De Vries wrote short stories, reviews, poetry, essays, a play, novellas, and twenty-three novels. Films made from De Vries's novels include ''
The Tunnel of Love
''The Tunnel of Love'' is a 1958 romantic comedy film directed by Gene Kelly and starring Doris Day and Richard Widmark. The film follows a married suburban couple who, for reasons unknown, are unable to conceive a child and soon endure endless ...
'' (1958), which also was a successful Broadway play; ''How Do I Love Thee?'' (1970, based on ''Let Me Count the Ways''); ''
Pete 'n' Tillie
''Pete 'n' Tillie'' is a 1972 American comedy-drama film directed by Martin Ritt and starring Walter Matthau and Carol Burnett. Its advertising tagline was: "Honeymoon's over. It's time to get married."
Screenwriter Julius J. Epstein was nomina ...
'' (1972, based on ''Witch’s Milk''); and ''
Reuben, Reuben
''Reuben, Reuben'' is a 1983 comedy-drama film directed by Robert Ellis Miller and starring Tom Conti, Kelly McGillis (in her film debut), Roberts Blossom, Cynthia Harris, and Joel Fabiani.
The film was adapted by Julius J. Epstein from the 19 ...
'' (1983), which also inspired a Broadway play, ''Spofford''. Earlier, in 1952, De Vries also contributed to the writing of the Broadway revue ''
New Faces of 1952
''New Faces of 1952'' is a musical revue with songs and comedy skits. It ran on Broadway for nearly a year in 1952 and was then made into a motion picture in 1954. It helped launch the careers of several young performers including Paul Lynde, Alic ...
''. Although he enjoyed success for five decades, all his novels were out of print by the time of his death.
James Bratt
James Donald Bratt (born 1949) is a scholar of Abraham Kuyper, and is an emeritus professor at Calvin College.
An alumnus of Calvin, Bratt received his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Yale University after writing his dissertation, ''Dutch Ca ...
describes De Vries as "a secular
Jeremiah
Jeremiah, Modern: , Tiberian: ; el, Ἰερεμίας, Ieremíās; meaning " Yah shall raise" (c. 650 – c. 570 BC), also called Jeremias or the "weeping prophet", was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewi ...
Peter De Vries met his future wife, poet and author Katinka Loeser, in 1943 when she won an award from ''Poetry'' magazine. The couple moved to
Westport, Connecticut
Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, along the Long Island Sound within Connecticut's Gold Coast. It is northeast of New York City. The town had a population of 27,141 according to the 2020 U.S. Census.
History
...
in 1948. They were the parents of four children: sons Derek and Jon, daughters Jan and Emily. Emily died in 1960 at age ten after a two-year fight with leukemia. This experience provided the inspiration for his 1961 work, ''The Blood of the Lamb.'' His son
Jon
Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given", and an alternate spelling of John, derived from "YHWH has pardoned".American Gangster''; ''
Sarah, Plain and Tall
''Sarah, Plain and Tall'' is a children's book written by Patricia MacLachlan and the winner of the 1986 Newbery Medal, the 1986 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and the 1986 Golden Kite Award. It explores themes of loneliness, abando ...
''; and ''
Skylark
''Alauda'' is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one of the species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands. Further, at least two additional species are ...
''; as well as episodic television in shows like '' Blue Bloods'', '' Boardwalk Empire'', and '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. His daughter Jan, an author, editor and psychic counselor whose interests and activities ranged from homeopathic medicine to shamanism, the occult and Native American lore, died in 1997 at age 52, of cancer.
Katinka De Vries died in 1991. Peter De Vries died at age 83 on September 28, 1993, in a Norwalk, Connecticut hospital. He, his wife, and daughter are buried in
Willowbrook Cemetery
Willowbrook Cemetery is located at 395 Main Street in Westport, Connecticut. Established in 1847, the cemetery is located close to Westport's downtown area, and features the burials of many members of Westport's historic families, including the ...
, Westport, Conn.
Honors
De Vries received an honorary degree in 1979 from Susquehanna University. He was elected to the
American Academy of Arts and Letters
The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqu ...
in May 1983.
Works
*''But Who Wakes the Bugler?'' (1940)
*''The Handsome Heart'' (1943)
*''Angels Can't Do Better'' (1944)
*''No But I Saw the Movie'' (1952)
*''
The Tunnel of Love
''The Tunnel of Love'' is a 1958 romantic comedy film directed by Gene Kelly and starring Doris Day and Richard Widmark. The film follows a married suburban couple who, for reasons unknown, are unable to conceive a child and soon endure endless ...
'' (1954)
*''Comfort Me with Apples'' (1956)
*''The Mackerel Plaza'' (1958)
*''The Tents of Wickedness'' (1959)
*''Through the Fields of Clover'' (1961)
*''The Blood of the Lamb'' (1961)
*''Reuben, Reuben'' (1964)
*''Let Me Count the Ways'' (
Little, Brown and Co.
Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emily ...
, 1965)
*''The Vale of Laughter'' (1967)
*''The Cat's Pajamas'' (1968)
*''Witch's Milk'' (1968)
*''Mrs. Wallop'' (1971)
*''Into Your Tent I'll Creep'' (1971)
*''Without a Stitch in Time'' (1972)
*''Forever Panting'' (1973)
*''The Glory of the Hummingbird'' (1974)
*''I Hear America Swinging'' (1976)
*''Madder Music'' (1977)
*''Consenting Adults; or, The Duchess Will Be Furious'' (1980)
*''Sauce for the Goose'' (1981)
*''Slouching Towards Kalamazoo'' (1983)
*''The Prick of Noon'' (1985)
*''Peckham's Marbles'' (1986)
Short stories and humorous pieces
* Short story.
* Humorous piece about jazz snobs.
* Short story in the style of William Faulkner.