Samuel A. Derieux
Encyclopedia
Samuel Arthur Derieux was an American writer, known especially for short stories, set in the South, about dogs, hunting, or both.
He was born in Richmond, Virginia
in 1881. His undergraduate education was in the South, at Wofford College
from 1897 to '99, and at Richmond College (now the University of Richmond
), where he received his B.A.
in 1904. He spent two years of graduate work at Johns Hopkins
, and received his M.A.
at University of Chicago
in 1910.
He worked as an assistant professor of English at Richmond (1910-'11), Missouri State Normal School ('11-'13), and Wake Forest
('15-'17).
Derieux had already published a few stories, and in 1917 he joined the editorial staff in the New York offices of The American Magazine, where he then published one in each of the next two years, and two to six a year thereafter. He was among the winners of an O. Henry memorial award
in the awards' first year, and was the first author to accumulate three of the awards ('19, '21, and -- posthumously -- '22). He died in Manhattan of appendicitis
at the age of 41 on February 25, 1922.
. (The film's 6 characters correspond closely to the most important of those of his O. Henry-winning 1918 story "The Trial in Tom Belcher's Store", including the subtle point that the crucial character Squire Kirby is (once) addressed as "Jim Kirby", and (once) referred to as "Squire Jim Kirby", in the story, which corresponds to the film cast's character being specified as "Squire Jim Kirby". The story parallels in essentials the (widely circulated) plot summary for A Boy and His Dog that is attributed to David Glagovsky by the Internet Movie Database
. While they agree in starting the action on Friday, the film's summary is more detailed in specifying Monday as the day of the trial; the story simply says "Then one afternoon..." (not "the next day"), following a Saturday of hunting by an unknown interval, and places the trial on the day following the consequently unspecified afternoon. In summary, the differences rule out the summary having been accurate as to the short story -- and thus liable to being misunderstood as intended to summarize the film; they also are small enough to reasonably to constitute the minimum difference needed to accommodate the change of medium.)
He was born in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
in 1881. His undergraduate education was in the South, at Wofford College
Wofford College
Established in 1854 and related to the United Methodist Church, Wofford College is an independent, Phi Beta Kappa liberal arts college of 1,525 students located in downtown Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. The historic campus is recognized as a national arboretum and features “The...
from 1897 to '99, and at Richmond College (now the University of Richmond
University of Richmond
The University of Richmond is a selective, private, nonsectarian, liberal arts university located on the border of the city of Richmond and Henrico County, Virginia. The University of Richmond is a primarily undergraduate, residential university with approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate...
), where he received his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1904. He spent two years of graduate work at Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, and received his M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
at University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1910.
He worked as an assistant professor of English at Richmond (1910-'11), Missouri State Normal School ('11-'13), and Wake Forest
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
('15-'17).
Derieux had already published a few stories, and in 1917 he joined the editorial staff in the New York offices of The American Magazine, where he then published one in each of the next two years, and two to six a year thereafter. He was among the winners of an O. Henry memorial award
O. Henry Award
The O. Henry Award is the only yearly award given to short stories of exceptional merit. The award is named after the American master of the form, O. Henry....
in the awards' first year, and was the first author to accumulate three of the awards ('19, '21, and -- posthumously -- '22). He died in Manhattan of appendicitis
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
at the age of 41 on February 25, 1922.
A Boy and His Dog
In 1946, Derieux received posthumous story credit for the short film A Boy and His DogA Boy and His Dog (1946 film)
A Boy and His Dog is a 1946 short drama film directed by LeRoy Prinz. It won an Academy Award at the 19th Academy Awards in 1947 for Best Short Subject ....
. (The film's 6 characters correspond closely to the most important of those of his O. Henry-winning 1918 story "The Trial in Tom Belcher's Store", including the subtle point that the crucial character Squire Kirby is (once) addressed as "Jim Kirby", and (once) referred to as "Squire Jim Kirby", in the story, which corresponds to the film cast's character being specified as "Squire Jim Kirby". The story parallels in essentials the (widely circulated) plot summary for A Boy and His Dog that is attributed to David Glagovsky by the Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
. While they agree in starting the action on Friday, the film's summary is more detailed in specifying Monday as the day of the trial; the story simply says "Then one afternoon..." (not "the next day"), following a Saturday of hunting by an unknown interval, and places the trial on the day following the consequently unspecified afternoon. In summary, the differences rule out the summary having been accurate as to the short story -- and thus liable to being misunderstood as intended to summarize the film; they also are small enough to reasonably to constitute the minimum difference needed to accommodate the change of medium.)
Writings
(Stories marked * appear in the collection Frank of Freedom Hill.)- "The Little Boy in the Blackberry Patch"*
- "Blood Money"*
- "The Call of Home"*
- Her Sammy (1916)
- The Magnet (1916)
- Frank of Freedom Hill (1917)
- The Destiny of Dan VI* (AM March 1917)
- "The Crisis in Room 25"* (AM February 1918, but "The Crisis in 25" when collected)
- "Paradise Regained"* (AM February 1919)
- "One Friend Jim Taylor Lacked" (AM May 1919)
- "The Trial in Tom Belcher's Store"* (AM, June 1919)
- "Old Frank Sees It Through"* (AM, November 1919)
- "Terrible Charge Against Jeff Potter" (AM, February 1920)
- "The Pursuit"* (AM, November 1920)
- "Old Frank to the Rescue" (AM, March 1921)
- "The Bolter"* (AM, September 1921)
- "The Most Wonderful Bird Dog in the World" (AM, October 1921)
- "Old Mac and Young Doc" (AM, August 1921)
- "Joe Goes After the Doctor" (AM, November 1921)
- "The Comet" (AM, December 1921)
- "An Act of God"* (AM, March 1922)
- "Invisible Huntsman" (AM, June 1922)
- "Billy Thompson’s Plan for Revenge" (AM, July 1922)
- "Old Gideon—Detective" (AM, March 1923)
- "Wild Bill McCorkle" (AM, August 1924)
- The Sixth Shot (1922)
- Frank of Freedom Hill (1922) (collection of stories previously published 1917-21)
- "Bird Dogs I Have Known" (AM, May 1923)
- Animal Personalities (1923)
- "Sheriff" (AM, October 1928)