Harold Sinclair (novelist) explained

Harold Sinclair (1907–1966) was an Illinois writer who produced several historical novels, including some about settler life in the Midwest. He was also a musician, and wrote about jazz and New Orleans. He was born on May 8, 1907, in Chicago.^[1] At the age of eight he moved to Bloomington, Illinois. He dropped out of high school and traveled around the country, but eventually returned to live in Bloomington.^[2] While working in a hardware store in Chicago, he wrote his first book (Journey Home, 1936).^[3] The New York Times published a lengthy review of his second novel, American Years, in 1938.^[4] It was the first of a trilogy about the town of Everton, Illinois, a fictional name for Bloomington. Roy W. Meyer said, "[Although n]ot properly a farm novel at all ... [t]here is a sense of authenticity in the account of the daily lives and concerns of these small town Illinois people".^[5] In 1939 he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in creative writing.^[3] His most well-known book, The Horse Soldiers (1956), was adapted and made into a film of the same name, directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne and William Holden.^[6] Shortly before his death, Sinclair signed an option to have the sequel, The Cavalryman, become a television series. (It was never produced.) He passed away on May 24, 1966, in Bloomington.^[3]

Bibliography

• Journey Home, 1936^[7]
• Westward the Tide, 1940
• The Port of New Orleans, 1942^[8]
• Music Out of Dixie, 1953^[9]
• Mrs. Ives of Illinois
• Daily Pantagraph, 1846-1946

Everton Trilogy

• American Years, 1938^[4]
• Years of Growth, 1940
• Years of Illusion, 1941^[10]

About Benjamin Grierson

• The Horse Soldiers, 1956^[11]
• The Cavalryman, 1958

Further reading

• Gary Heath, Harold Sinclair of Illinois: Letters, Biography, AuthorHouse, 2007
• Bill Kemp, Harold Sinclair Papers, Milner Library, Illinois State University

Notes and References

1. Book: Ehrlich . Eugene and Gorton Carruth . The Oxford Illustrated Literary Guide to the United States . 1982 . Oxford University Press . New York.
2. Web site: Harold Sinclair . Goodreads . 12 August 2024.
3. Book: Obituary . 25 May 1966 . New York Times . 47.
4. News: Young . Stanley . A Rich Panorama of Pioneering . New York Times . 5 June 1938.
5. Book: Meyer . Roy W. . The Middle Western Farm Novel in the Twentieth Century . 1965 . University of Nebraska Press . Lincoln, NE . 233.
6. Web site: Schenker . Charlie . McHistory: Noted author Harold Sinclair of Bloomington . WGLT.org . 7 December 2021 . Illinois State University . 12 August 2024.
7. News: Sherman . Beatrice . p. 13 . New York Times . 6 Sep 1936.
8. News: Reynolds . Horace . New Orleans, City of Memories . New York Times . 2 Aug 1942.
9. News: Kane . Harnett T. . The Birth of the Blues . New York Times . 25 May 1952.
10. News: Walton . Edith H. . Midwest Town . New York Times . 9 Nov 1941.
11. News: Kane . Harnett T. . Yankee Raiders Deep in Dixie . New York Times . 19 Feb 1956.