William Demby facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Demby
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William Demby (1956)
Photo by Carl Van Vechten |
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| Born | William Demby December 25, 1922 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US |
| Died | May 23, 2013 (aged 90) Sag Harbor, Long Island, NY, US |
| Occupation | Novelist, actor |
| Nationality | American |
| Period | 1950–2013 |
| Notable works | Beetlecreek; The Catacombs; Love Story Black; King Comus |
| Notable awards | Anisfield-Wolf 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award |
| Spouse | Lucia Drudi (1953–95, her death); Barbara Morris (2004–his death) |
William Demby (born December 25, 1922 – died May 23, 2013) was an African-American writer. He wrote several important books. Some of his famous works include Beetlecreek, The Catacombs, Love Story Black, and King Comus.
Contents
William Demby's Early Life and Education
William Demby was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on December 25, 1922. His parents were William and Gertrude Demby. He grew up with six brothers and sisters. His mother was a schoolteacher, and his father worked for a natural gas company. Later, his family moved to Clarksburg, West Virginia.
He studied English for a short time at West Virginia State University. There, he learned from the writer Margaret Walker. During World War II, he joined an African-American cavalry unit. This unit was sent to North Africa and Italy. While in the military, he wrote for an Army newspaper called Stars and Stripes.
After the war, he finished his studies at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1947. The poet Robert Hayden was his teacher and guide there. In the same year, Demby moved to Rome, Italy. He studied art and art history at the University of Rome.
Life in Italy and Family
In 1953, William Demby married Lucia Drudi, an Italian writer. She was a poet, novelist, translator, and screenwriter. In 1955, they had a son named James Gabriele Demby. James now writes and teaches music in Italy. Lucia Drudi passed away in 1995.
William Demby lived in Rome for many years. He worked with famous Italian film directors like Federico Fellini. He helped by translating Italian movie scripts and films into English. He was also an assistant director for dialogue on Roberto Rossellini's film Europa 51, which starred Ingrid Bergman.
Demby also acted in a movie called Anna's Sin. This film was a new version of Shakespeare's play Othello. It was set in Rome in the 1950s. The movie showed a love story between people of different races that had a happy ending. William Demby also wrote for American magazines, including The Reporter.
While living in Italy, he wrote his first novel, Beetlecreek, in 1950. This book became one of his most important works. In 1965, he released another book, The Catacombs, which was even more experimental.
Later Life and Achievements
Later in his life, William Demby met Barbara Morris again. He had known her from his time at Fisk University. Barbara Morris was a lawyer who worked for the NAACP. They got married in 2004.
In 1969, Demby started teaching English at the College of Staten Island (CUNY). He taught there until the late 1980s. His third novel, Love Story Black, was published in 1978.
Demby often returned to Italy. He spent time in Rome and lived in a villa in Tuscany for almost ten years, from the late 1980s to the late 1990s. He spent his last years in Sag Harbor, New York.
In 2006, William Demby received the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. This award honored his achievements throughout his writing career.
His last novel, King Comus, was finished in 2007. However, it was not published until after his death. It was released in November 2017 by Ishmael Reed Publishing Company. The Huffington Post called it the "REDISCOVERED NOVEL OF THE YEAR."
William Demby passed away in Sag Harbor, Long Island, New York, on May 23, 2013. He was 90 years old.
William Demby's Career Works
Books Written by William Demby
- Beetlecreek (1950)
- This story takes place in West Virginia. It explores the relationships between an older white man, a young Black teenager involved in gangs, and an artist.
- The Catacombs (1965)
- This book pushed the boundaries for Black authors. It is partly about Demby's own life as a writer living in Rome.
- Love Story Black (1978)
- Blueboy (1980)
- King Comus (2007, published in November 2017 after his death)
Films William Demby Worked On
Assistant Director
- Europe '51 (1952)
Screenwriter
- Commando (1962)
- The Eye of the Needle (1963)
- Congo Vivo (1962)
- This movie is set during a revolution in Congo. It follows an Italian journalist who falls in love with the wife of a Belgian businessman.
Actor
- Anna's Sin (1953)
- Seven Deadly Sins, "L'invidia" (1952)
- This was a French and Italian movie project about the seven deadly sins. It had two episodes from Italy and five from France.
Translator
- L'occhio selvaggio (1967)
See also
- African-American literature
