Chandler Brossard
Encyclopedia
Chandler Brossard was an American novelist, writer, editor, and teacher.
He was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho
, and grew up in Washington, D.C.
Brossard was chiefly self-educated, having left school at age eleven. He worked as a journalist for the Washington Post before attaining a writing position with The New Yorker
at age nineteen, where editor William Shawn
encouraged him to write fiction. His first published novel, Who Walk in Darkness (1952), focused on the bohemian life of 1940s Greenwich Village
and is sometimes considered the first beat novel, thus earning Brossard an association with early Beat Generation
writers such as Jack Kerouac
and Allen Ginsberg
-- an association Brossard neither sought nor desired. Reviewers who characterized Who Walk in Darkness as a beat novel, Brossard said, "totally missed getting the book. They thought it was a realistic novel, which of course it wasn't. The French critics knew better. They perceived it as the first 'new wave' novel, a nightmare presented as flat documentary."
Brossard received little critical support for his novels in the United States (though they were well-received abroad, particularly in France). In 1971 Anatole Broyard
wrote a scathing review of Wake Up. We're Almost There for The New York Times
: "Here's a book so transcendently bad it makes us fear not only for the condition of the novel in this country, but for the country itself." Brossard responded in kind and a small controversy festered between them for a time. After 1971, all his fiction was published by small presses: his final full-length novel As the Wolf Howls at The Door was published by Dalkey Archive Press in 1992, and all his shorter fiction from 1971 to 1991 was published posthumously by Sun Dog Press under the title (chosen by Brossard shortly before his death) Over the Rainbow? Hardly: Collected Short Seizures (2005). A special issue of the Review of Contemporary Fiction, guest-edited by Steven Moore, is devoted to a critical examination of his work (vol. 7, no. 1, Spring 1987).
During his career Brossard was as an editor for Time
magazine, executive editor for The American Mercury
, and senior editor for Look
magazine (1956-1967). He also wrote criticism for The Nation
, Commentary, and The Guardian
. From 1969-1971, he was a professor at the experimental Old Westbury College
on Long Island. Subsequently, he held brief teaching appointments as a visiting professor, writer-in-residence, or lecturer at other universities both in the United States and abroad, including the University of Birmingham
in England, The New School for Social Research in New York, and Schiller College
in Paris. He was married twice and had three daughters. He died in August 1993.
He was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho
Idaho Falls, Idaho
Idaho Falls is a city in and the county seat of Bonneville County, Idaho, United States, and the largest city in Eastern Idaho. As of the 2010 census, the population of Idaho Falls was 56,813, with a metro population of 130,374....
, and grew up in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Brossard was chiefly self-educated, having left school at age eleven. He worked as a journalist for the Washington Post before attaining a writing position with The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
at age nineteen, where editor William Shawn
William Shawn
William Shawn was an American magazine editor who edited The New Yorker from 1952 until 1987.-Education and Early Life:...
encouraged him to write fiction. His first published novel, Who Walk in Darkness (1952), focused on the bohemian life of 1940s Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
and is sometimes considered the first beat novel, thus earning Brossard an association with early Beat Generation
Beat generation
The Beat Generation refers to a group of American post-WWII writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired...
writers such as Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
and Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
-- an association Brossard neither sought nor desired. Reviewers who characterized Who Walk in Darkness as a beat novel, Brossard said, "totally missed getting the book. They thought it was a realistic novel, which of course it wasn't. The French critics knew better. They perceived it as the first 'new wave' novel, a nightmare presented as flat documentary."
Brossard received little critical support for his novels in the United States (though they were well-received abroad, particularly in France). In 1971 Anatole Broyard
Anatole Broyard
Anatole Paul Broyard was an American writer, literary critic and editor for The New York Times. In addition to his many reviews and columns, he published short stories, essays and two books during his lifetime...
wrote a scathing review of Wake Up. We're Almost There for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
: "Here's a book so transcendently bad it makes us fear not only for the condition of the novel in this country, but for the country itself." Brossard responded in kind and a small controversy festered between them for a time. After 1971, all his fiction was published by small presses: his final full-length novel As the Wolf Howls at The Door was published by Dalkey Archive Press in 1992, and all his shorter fiction from 1971 to 1991 was published posthumously by Sun Dog Press under the title (chosen by Brossard shortly before his death) Over the Rainbow? Hardly: Collected Short Seizures (2005). A special issue of the Review of Contemporary Fiction, guest-edited by Steven Moore, is devoted to a critical examination of his work (vol. 7, no. 1, Spring 1987).
During his career Brossard was as an editor for Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine, executive editor for The American Mercury
The American Mercury
The American Mercury was an American magazine published from 1924 to 1981. It was founded as the brainchild of H. L. Mencken and drama critic George Jean Nathan. The magazine featured writing by some of the most important writers in the United States through the 1920s and 1930s...
, and senior editor for Look
Look (American magazine)
Look was a bi-weekly, general-interest magazine published in Des Moines, Iowa from 1937 to 1971, with more of an emphasis on photographs than articles...
magazine (1956-1967). He also wrote criticism for The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, Commentary, and The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
. From 1969-1971, he was a professor at the experimental Old Westbury College
State University of New York at Old Westbury
The State University of New York College at Old Westbury is a university college that is part of the State University of New York system. The college is in Old Westbury, New York, with portions in the neighboring town of Jericho, New York...
on Long Island. Subsequently, he held brief teaching appointments as a visiting professor, writer-in-residence, or lecturer at other universities both in the United States and abroad, including the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
in England, The New School for Social Research in New York, and Schiller College
Schiller International University
Schiller International University is a private American university with its main campus and administrative headquarters in Largo, Florida. It has campuses on two continents in five countries, each offering its own unique experiences to students: Largo; Paris, France; Madrid, Spain; Heidelberg,...
in Paris. He was married twice and had three daughters. He died in August 1993.
External links
- Chandler Brossard Papers Syracuse University)