Robert Montgomery Bird
Encyclopedia
Robert Montgomery Bird was an American novelist, playwright
, and physician
.
on February 5, 1806. After attending the New Castle Academy and Germantown Academy
, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania
in 1824. He began to write fiction during his time in medical school and by 1827 had published in the Philadelphia Monthly Magazine. After graduating from medical school, Bird attempted to begin a medical practice but became discouraged after one year and left medicine to pursue a literary career.
, but was never produced. Instead, Bird wrote another play for Forrest, The Gladiator, which was produced in 1831. Bird wrote several other plays for Forrest. Forrest had promised to pay Bird more for these plays if they proved successful. Though they were, Forrest refused to give Bird additional money; Bird's frustration with Forrest pushed him into writing novels. These include Calavar (1834), The Infidel (1835), The Hawks of Hawk-Hollow (1835), Sheppard Lee (1836), Nick of the Woods (1837), and The Adventures of Robin Day (1839). Calavar and The Infidel are notable for their graphic and accurate details and descriptions of Mexican history.
Bird also pursued a number of other interests. In 1837, he began a career as a journalist, working as the Associate Editor for The American Monthly Magazine. He became the editor of the North American Magazine and United States Gazette in 1847. He also taught medicine at the Pennsylvania Medical College and ran for Congress in 1842 (an attempt which was later aborted).
According to Christopher Looby, "Bird's biographers say that the intensity of these literary labors led to a breakdown of his health, possibly including a mental disorder, and that he retired to a farm on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 1840 to restore himself."
Other
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, and physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
.
Background
Bird was born in New Castle, DelawareNew Castle, Delaware
New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, six miles south of Wilmington, situated on the Delaware River. In 1900, 3,380 people lived here; in 1910, 3,351...
on February 5, 1806. After attending the New Castle Academy and Germantown Academy
Germantown Academy
Germantown Academy is America's oldest nonsectarian day school, founded on December 6, 1759 . Germantown Academy is now a K-12 school in the Philadelphia suburb of Fort Washington, having moved from its original Germantown campus in 1965...
, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 1824. He began to write fiction during his time in medical school and by 1827 had published in the Philadelphia Monthly Magazine. After graduating from medical school, Bird attempted to begin a medical practice but became discouraged after one year and left medicine to pursue a literary career.
Career
In 1828, Bird's play Pelopidas won a $1000 prize offered by the actor Edwin ForrestEdwin Forrest
Edwin Forrest was an American actor.-Early life:Forrest was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of Scottish and German descent. His father died and he was brought up by his mother, a German woman of humble origins. He was educated at the common schools in Philadelphia, and early evinced a taste...
, but was never produced. Instead, Bird wrote another play for Forrest, The Gladiator, which was produced in 1831. Bird wrote several other plays for Forrest. Forrest had promised to pay Bird more for these plays if they proved successful. Though they were, Forrest refused to give Bird additional money; Bird's frustration with Forrest pushed him into writing novels. These include Calavar (1834), The Infidel (1835), The Hawks of Hawk-Hollow (1835), Sheppard Lee (1836), Nick of the Woods (1837), and The Adventures of Robin Day (1839). Calavar and The Infidel are notable for their graphic and accurate details and descriptions of Mexican history.
Bird also pursued a number of other interests. In 1837, he began a career as a journalist, working as the Associate Editor for The American Monthly Magazine. He became the editor of the North American Magazine and United States Gazette in 1847. He also taught medicine at the Pennsylvania Medical College and ran for Congress in 1842 (an attempt which was later aborted).
According to Christopher Looby, "Bird's biographers say that the intensity of these literary labors led to a breakdown of his health, possibly including a mental disorder, and that he retired to a farm on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 1840 to restore himself."
External links
Sources- Works by Robert Montgomery Bird at Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
(scanned books, illustrated, color) - Works by Robert Montgomery Bird at Google Books (scanned books, illustrated) (multiple formats, plain text and HTML)
- Works by Robert Montgomery Bird at Munseys (multiple formats, plain text and HTML)
Other
- Daniel Traister. "Robert Montgomery Bird: Writer and Artist", an exhibition at the Kamin Gallery, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library, University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, Feb-2003. - "Robert Montgomery Bird", short biography, Encyclopædia Britannica Online
- "Robert Montgomery Bird", short biography, UXL Newsmakers, 2005.
- Clement Edgar Foust. The Life and Dramatic Works of Robert Montgomery Bird. New York, Knickerbocker Press. 1919.