Maxwell Anderson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maxwell Anderson
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| Born | James Maxwell Anderson December 15, 1888 Atlantic, Pennsylvania, US |
| Died | February 28, 1959 (aged 70) Stamford, Connecticut, US |
| Pen name | John Nairne Michaelson |
| Occupation | Playwright |
| Alma mater | University of North Dakota Stanford University |
| Notable awards | Pulitzer Prize for Drama (1933) |
| Spouse |
Margaret Haskett
(m. 1911; Gilda Hazard
(m. 1954) |
| Partner | Gertrude Higger (1933–1953; her death) |
| Children | 4 (including Quentin) |
| Relatives | Maxwell L. Anderson (grandson) |
James Maxwell Anderson (December 15, 1888 – February 28, 1959) was an American writer who created plays, poems, and songs. He was also a journalist and wrote screenplays for movies.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Maxwell Anderson was born on December 15, 1888, in Atlantic, Pennsylvania. He was one of eight children. His father, William Lincoln Anderson, was a Baptist minister, and his mother was Charlotte Perrimela Stephenson. Both his parents had Scottish and Irish roots.
His family moved often because of his father's work. Maxwell was often sick as a child and missed a lot of school. During these times, he loved to read many books. His parents and aunt were great storytellers, which helped him love literature even more.
In 1907, Maxwell started high school in Jamestown, North Dakota, and he graduated in 1908.
College Years and First Jobs
Anderson went to the University of North Dakota. To pay for college, he worked at a newspaper called the Grand Forks Herald at night. He also joined school clubs for writing and drama. He earned a degree in English Literature in 1911.
After college, he became a high school principal and English teacher in Minnewaukan, North Dakota. However, he was fired in 1913 for sharing his ideas about pacifism (being against war) with his students. He then went to Stanford University and earned another degree in English Literature in 1914.
He taught English in high school in San Francisco. Later, he became the head of the English department at Whittier College in 1917. He was fired again after a year. This happened because he publicly supported a student who was jailed for being a conscientious objector (someone who refuses to fight in a war for moral reasons).
Career as a Writer
After teaching, Anderson worked for several newspapers. He wrote for the San Francisco Evening Bulletin but was fired for an article he wrote. He then moved to San Francisco to write for the San Francisco Chronicle. He was fired from there after getting sick with the Spanish flu and missing work.
In 1918, he moved to New York City to write about politics for The New Republic. But he was fired after an argument with the editor. He then found work at The New York Globe and the New York World.
Starting as a Playwright
In 1921, Anderson helped start a poetry magazine called The Measure: A Journal of Poetry. His first play, White Desert, was performed in 1923. It only ran for a short time, but a reviewer named Laurence Stallings liked it. Anderson and Stallings then worked together on their next play, What Price Glory?. This play was a big success in 1924. After this, Anderson left his newspaper job to focus on writing plays.
Famous Plays and Awards
Maxwell Anderson wrote plays in many different styles. He was one of the few modern playwrights to use blank verse (poetry without rhymes) a lot in his plays. Many of his plays were made into movies. He also wrote screenplays for other authors' stories, like All Quiet on the Western Front (1930).
His play What Price Glory, about World War I, was a big hit on Broadway in 1924. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1933 for his play Both Your Houses, which was about politics. He also won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award twice, for his plays Winterset and High Tor.
Plays About English History
Anderson had great success with plays set during the time of the Tudor dynasty in England. This family ruled England, Wales, and Ireland from 1485 to 1603.
- Anne of the Thousand Days tells the story of King Henry VIII's marriage to Anne Boleyn. It was a hit play in 1948 and later became a movie in 1969.
- Elizabeth the Queen opened in 1930. It was later made into the movie The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939).
- Mary of Scotland (1936) was a movie based on his play about Mary, Queen of Scots, and Elizabeth I.
Plays Adapted for Screen and TV
Many of Anderson's plays were adapted for movies and television.
- Joan of Lorraine was a play he wrote, which he later helped turn into the movie Joan of Arc (1948) starring Ingrid Bergman.
- His historical plays Valley Forge, about George Washington's army, and Barefoot in Athens, about Socrates, were adapted for television.
- Anderson also wrote the words and songs for two successful musicals with composer Kurt Weill.
- Knickerbocker Holiday was about early Dutch settlers in New York. It included the famous song "September Song".
- Lost in the Stars was based on the novel Cry, The Beloved Country and also had a popular title song.
His comedy-drama Saturday's Children (1927) was filmed three times. The last successful play he wrote for Broadway was The Bad Seed in 1954. He also wrote the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's movie The Wrong Man (1957).
Personal Life
Maxwell Anderson married Margaret Haskett in 1911. They had three sons: Quentin, Alan, and Terence. Margaret passed away in 1931.
Later, Anderson had a daughter named Hesper with Mab Maynard. They were not married.
In 1954, Anderson married Gilda Hazard. This marriage was a happy one and lasted until his death.
Death
Maxwell Anderson passed away in Stamford, Connecticut, on February 28, 1959, at the age of 70. He died two days after having a stroke. He was cremated, and his ashes were placed in two locations: near his home by the sea and in Anderson Cemetery near his birthplace.
Awards and Recognition
Maxwell Anderson received several honors for his work:
- He won the gold medal in Drama from the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1954.
- He received honorary degrees from Columbia University in 1946 and the University of North Dakota in 1958.
Archive of His Works
The largest collection of Maxwell Anderson's writings and personal items is kept at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. This collection includes his plays, poems, essays, letters, diaries, photos, and books from his own library. Smaller collections of his papers can be found in other places, including the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
Major Works
Maxwell Anderson was a very busy writer. Here are some of his most important works:
Stage Plays
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Movies Based on His Work
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Songs He Wrote Lyrics For
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Poetry and Essays
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Images for kids
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Maxwell Anderson
See also
In Spanish: Maxwell Anderson para niños
