H.R. Stoneback
Encyclopedia
Harry Robert Stoneback is an American academic, poet
, and folk singer
. A Hemingway
, Durrell
, and Faulkner
scholar of international distinction, Stoneback—who, as an itinerant musician in the early 1960s, collaborated with Jerry Jeff Walker
(a period immortalized in the latter's "Stoney") and played with Bob Dylan
at Gerde's Folk City shortly after the latter's arrival in New York—is best known for illuminating the religious and folkloric undertones of Modernist and regional literature in over 100 essays. Joe Haldeman
has described Stoneback as the "eminence grise" of Hemingway studies. In recent years, Stoneback has played an integral role in the critical reappraisal of Richard Aldington
and Elizabeth Madox Roberts
, co-editing two anthologies of literary criticism about Roberts and serving as honorary director of the Elizabeth Madox Roberts Society. A former senior Fulbright Scholar at Peking University
, St-John Perse Fellow of the French-American Foundation in Aix-en-Provence
, and Visiting Professor at the University of Paris
(where he concurrently served as director of the now-defunct American Center for Students and Artists), he is currently a Distinguished Teaching Professor of English at the State University of New York at New Paltz
, where he has taught since 1969 and once curated the Norman Studer Archives. Commenting on Stoneback's Hemingway's Paris: Our Paris?, Valerie Hemingway has written: "H.R. Stoneback knows his Hemingway and his Paris. I had the incomparable experience of visiting Paris twice while working for Ernest Hemingway in 1959. I viewed the city at the side of the writer while he added the finishing touches to A Moveable Feast. Professor Stoneback's evocation of Hemingway's Paris of the 1920s is as close as I have come since to reliving those Paris days in the company of Ernest Hemingway. Reading this book will be a treat for all who love Hemingway and Paris, and a pleasant surprise for all readers."
Hurricane Hymn & Other Poems. Codhill Press, 2009.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, and folk singer
Folk Singer
Folk Singer is a 1964 album by Muddy Waters. Waters plays acoustic guitar, backed by Willie Dixon on string bass, Clifton James on drums, and Buddy Guy on acoustic guitar...
. A Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
, Durrell
Lawrence Durrell
Lawrence George Durrell was an expatriate British novelist, poet, dramatist, and travel writer, though he resisted affiliation with Britain and preferred to be considered cosmopolitan...
, and Faulkner
William Faulkner
William Cuthbert Faulkner was an American writer from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner worked in a variety of media; he wrote novels, short stories, a play, poetry, essays and screenplays during his career...
scholar of international distinction, Stoneback—who, as an itinerant musician in the early 1960s, collaborated with Jerry Jeff Walker
Jerry Jeff Walker
Jerry Jeff Walker is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is probably most famous for writing the song "Mr. Bojangles.-Biography:...
(a period immortalized in the latter's "Stoney") and played with Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
at Gerde's Folk City shortly after the latter's arrival in New York—is best known for illuminating the religious and folkloric undertones of Modernist and regional literature in over 100 essays. Joe Haldeman
Joe Haldeman
Joe William Haldeman is an American science fiction author.-Life :Haldeman was born June 9, 1943 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His family traveled and he lived in Puerto Rico, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., Bethesda, Maryland and Anchorage, Alaska as a child. Haldeman married Mary Gay Potter, known...
has described Stoneback as the "eminence grise" of Hemingway studies. In recent years, Stoneback has played an integral role in the critical reappraisal of Richard Aldington
Richard Aldington
Richard Aldington , born Edward Godfree Aldington, was an English writer and poet.Aldington was best known for his World War I poetry, the 1929 novel, Death of a Hero, and the controversy arising from his 1955 Lawrence of Arabia: A Biographical Inquiry...
and Elizabeth Madox Roberts
Elizabeth Madox Roberts
Elizabeth Madox Roberts was a Kentucky novelist and poet, primarily known for her novels and stories about the Kentucky mountain people, including The Time of Man , The Great Meadow and A Buried Treasure . All of her writings are characterized by her distinct, rhythmic prose...
, co-editing two anthologies of literary criticism about Roberts and serving as honorary director of the Elizabeth Madox Roberts Society. A former senior Fulbright Scholar at Peking University
Peking University
Peking University , colloquially known in Chinese as Beida , is a major research university located in Beijing, China, and a member of the C9 League. It is the first established modern national university of China. It was founded as Imperial University of Peking in 1898 as a replacement of the...
, St-John Perse Fellow of the French-American Foundation in Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
, and Visiting Professor at the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
(where he concurrently served as director of the now-defunct American Center for Students and Artists), he is currently a Distinguished Teaching Professor of English at the State University of New York at New Paltz
State University of New York at New Paltz
The State University of New York at New Paltz, known as SUNY New Paltz for short, is a public university in New Paltz, New York. It was founded in 1828 as the School for teaching of classics. In 1885, the New Paltz Normal and Training School was established as a school to prepare teachers for the...
, where he has taught since 1969 and once curated the Norman Studer Archives. Commenting on Stoneback's Hemingway's Paris: Our Paris?, Valerie Hemingway has written: "H.R. Stoneback knows his Hemingway and his Paris. I had the incomparable experience of visiting Paris twice while working for Ernest Hemingway in 1959. I viewed the city at the side of the writer while he added the finishing touches to A Moveable Feast. Professor Stoneback's evocation of Hemingway's Paris of the 1920s is as close as I have come since to reliving those Paris days in the company of Ernest Hemingway. Reading this book will be a treat for all who love Hemingway and Paris, and a pleasant surprise for all readers."
Recent Publications
Hemingway's Paris: Our Paris? New Street Communications, LLC. 2010.Hurricane Hymn & Other Poems. Codhill Press, 2009.