Henry Arlin Turner (November 25, 1909 – April 24, 1980) was an American biographer and professor of English, specializing in American literature of the 19th century.

Biography

Arlin Turner graduated from West Texas State Teachers College with bachelor's degree in 1927 and from the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

with Ph.D. in 1934. From 1933 to 1936 he taught in the English department of the University of Texas. From 1936 to 1952 he was a member of the department of English at

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

. During WW II he served in the

United States Naval Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2004, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called reservists, are categorized as being in either the S ...

. Turner was from 1953 to 1979 a professor at

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

, where he also chaired the department of English for sixteen years. He retired in 1979 from Duke University as professor emeritus and then from 1979 until his death in 1980 taught at

Southwest Texas State University Texas State University (TXST) is a public research university with its main campus in San Marcos, Texas, United States, and another campus in Round Rock. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to be one of the largest univer ...

. Turner wrote four books and more than seventy articles published in scholarly journals. He wrote extensively on

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (né Hathorne; July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associat ...

George Washington Cable George Washington Cable (October 12, 1844 – January 31, 1925) was an American novelist notable for the realism of his portrayals of Creole life in his native New Orleans, Louisiana. He has been called "the most important southern artist wo ...

, and

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

. Turner was managing editor from 1954 to 1963 and then editor from 1963 to 1979 for ''American Literature'' (published by

Duke University Press Duke University Press is an academic publisher and university press affiliated with Duke University. It was founded in 1921 by William T. Laprade as The Trinity College Press. (Duke University was initially called Trinity College). In 1926 ...

). He also served on the editorial boards of ''Resources for American Literary Study'', the ''South Atlantic Quarterly'', the ''Arlington Quarterly'', ''Studies in American Humor'', and the ''

Southern Literary Journal ''Southern Literary Journal'' (SLJ) was established in 1968 by editors Louis D. Rubin, Jr. and C. Hugh Holman. In 2015 the journal changed focus from literary to interdisciplinary content, changed its name to ''south'', and became more closely ...

''. Turner was awarded Guggenheim Fellowships for the academic years 1947–1948 and 1959–1960. In 1958 the Southern Historical Association gave him the Charles S. Sydnor Award for his 1956 biography of George W. Cable. Turner was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Literature in 1976 from

Berea College Berea College is a private liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky. Founded in 1855, Berea College was the first college in the Southern United States to be coeducational and racially integrated. It was integrated from as early as 1866 ...

. In 1980 a collection of literary essays was published in his honor. His wife was Thelma Sherrill Turner (1910?–1999).

Selected publications

Articles

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Books

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References

External links

Guide to the Arlin Turner Papers, 1927–1980
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Arlin 1909 births 1980 deaths 20th-century American male writers American book editors American literary critics 20th-century American biographers 20th-century American essayists American male non-fiction writers West Texas A&M University alumni University of Texas at Austin alumni Louisiana State University faculty Duke University faculty People from Abilene, Texas