Lester Atwell (July 31, 1908 – April 30, 2001) was a novelist, short-story writer and US veteran from

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. His most notable works include ''Private'', ''Love is Just Around the Corner'' and ''Life with its Sorrow, Life with its Tear''.

Military service

At the age of 34 Atwell was drafted in the Army to serve in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. As an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

man in the 87th Infantry Division he was active in the

European theater The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main Theater (warfare), theatres of combat during World War II, taking place from September 1939 to May 1945. The Allies of World War II, Allied powers (including the United Kingdom, the ...

, and fought in

Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...

as part of the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

Works

Atwell's 1958 book ''Private'' serves as his personal

war diary A war diary is a regularly updated official record kept by Military organization, military units of their activities during wartime. The purpose of these diaries is to both record information which can later be used by the military to improve its ...

, and recounts his service in World War II. The work has been described as being "as complete and accurate a picture of men in and awaiting combat as one is likely to find." The work was runner-up for the

National Book Critics Circle Award The National Book Critics Circle Awards are a set of annual American literary awards by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English".nonfiction Non-fiction (or nonfiction) is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to convey information only about the real world, rather than being grounded in imagination. Non-fiction typically aims to present topics objectively ...

category. Atwell's ''Love is Just Around the Corner'' served as the basis for the Broadway musical ''

Flora the Red Menace ''Flora the Red Menace'' is a musical with a book by George Abbott and Robert Russell, music by John Kander, and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The original 1965 production starred Liza Minnelli in the title role in her Broadway debut, for which she won ...

''. His third book ''Life With Its Sorrow, Life With Its Tear'' was published in 1971, and his short stories have appeared in publications including ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...

'' and ''

Collier's } ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter F. Collier, Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened i ...

''. His last novel ''The Other Dear Charmer'' was written at the age of 82.

Death

Atwell died of natural causes at the age of 92 in

Cary, North Carolina Cary is a town in Wake County, North Carolina, Wake, Chatham County, North Carolina, Chatham, and Durham County, North Carolina, Durham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is part of the Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh-Cary, NC M ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atwell, Lester 1908 births 2001 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II American male novelists Writers from Brooklyn Novelists from New York City Fordham University alumni Art Students League of New York alumni American war novelists American male short story writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American short story writers United States Army soldiers