Clarence Hawkes

Clarence Hawkes (December 16, 1869 – January 19, 1954) was an American author and lecturer, known for his nature stories and poetry. One of his most well-known works is his autobiography, titled "The Darkened Path: A Story of Blindness and Its Triumphs," published in 1918.

Biography

Born in Goshen, Massachusetts, Hawkes was physically disabled at a young age; part of one leg was amputated when he was nine, and he became blind four years later after a gun discharged in his face during a hunting accident. He was subsequently educated at the Perkins School for the Blind in Boston, where he befriended the young Helen Keller. In 1899, he married Bessie Bell, who illustrated his first book, and the couple moved to Hadley. His prolific career saw the publication of over 100 volumes on a variety of topics; upon his death, the ''New York Times'' referred to him as the "blind poet of Hadley".

In 2009, English professor James A. Freeman published the book ''Clarence Hawkes: America's Blind Naturalist and the World He Lived In'' to coincide with the 150th anniversary of Hawkes's birth.

Selected list of works

*''Pebbles and Shells: Verses'' (1895)
*''Shaggycoat: The Biography of a Beaver'' (1906)
*''Black Bruin: The Biography of a Bear'' (1908)
*''King Of The Thundering Herd: The Biography Of An American Bison'' (1911)
*''Piebald, King of Bronchos: The Biography of a Wild Horse'' (1912)
*''Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog'' (1922)
*''Dapples of the Circus: The Story of a Shetland Pony and a Boy'' (1923)
*''Bing: The Story of a Small Dog's Love'' (1929)

See also

*Ernest William Hawkes, his brother and anthropologist of Alaskan and Northern Canadian Indigenous people

References

"Fiction: Jungle Joe"
''Time''. April 19, 1926. Retrieved April 28, 2010.

External links

*
*
*
*
*
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkes, Clarence
1869 births
1954 deaths
American male writers
American amputees
American blind people