Berry Fleming (19 March 1899 15 September 1989) was an American

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 wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

. He is best known for his 1943 novel ''

Colonel Effingham's Raid ''Colonel Effingham's Raid'' (UK title: ''Man of the Hour'') is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Irving Pichel. It is also known as ''Berry Fleming's Colonel Effingham's Raid'', ''Everything's Peaches Down in Georgia'' and ''Rebel Yell''. ...

''.

Life and career

Fleming was born in Augusta,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, and lived in that city for most of his life. In 1922 he graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and in 1923 he worked as a reporter for an Augusta newspaper. In 1924 he moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to pursue his career as a writer. His first novel, ''The Conqueror's Stone'', was published in 1927. In the early 1930s Fleming and his wife spent 18 months living in France. They then returned to New York for a few years before returning to Augusta in 1938 where Fleming lived for the rest of his life. He enjoyed a considerable amount of success with a series of novels in the 1930s and 1940s which culminated in his 1943 work ''Colonel Effingham's Raid'', which was made into a film. Afterward, his popularity dwindled (along with him firing of his publicist), and he abandoned writing for nearly two decades after the publication of ''The Fortune Tellers'' in 1951. He resumed his work as a novelist with 1973's ''The Make Believers'' but struggled to regain an audience. He received a resurgence in popularity with the publication of his last novel '' Captain Bennett's Folly'' in 1989 just months before his death. The work was favorably reviewed in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' among other publications, and since then many of his earlier neglected novels have been republished with more successful sales than during his lifetime. For several years he maintained a weekly column in a Georgia newspaper. He also contributed articles to several magazines during his career, including the British satirical magazine '' Punch''. Fleming died of cancer in Augusta at the age of 90 and is buried in the Summerville Cemetery. His daughter was the late music critic and editor

Shirley Fleming Shirley Fleming (1929 in New York City – 10 March 2005) was an American music critic and editor. Biography Born in New York City in 1929, she was the daughter of novelist Berry Fleming, who enjoyed popularity during the 1930s and 1940s wit ...

. His papers are held by the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

's Hargett Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

References

1899 births 1989 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male novelists Harvard University alumni Writers from Augusta, Georgia Deaths from cancer in Georgia (U.S. state) 20th-century American male writers Novelists from Georgia (U.S. state) {{US-novelist-1890s-stub