Billy Lee Brammer
Encyclopedia
Billy Lee Brammer was an author, journalist, and political staffer in Texas
and Washington, D.C.
. He is best known for his set of three linked novellas, The Gay Place.
, where he graduated from Sunset High School
. He attended the University of North Texas
(then called North Texas State College), and while there met and later married (on April 22, 1950) Nadine Ellen Cannon.
Brammer graduated in 1952 with a degree in journalism
. After working briefly as a reporter for the Corpus Christi
Caller-Times
, Brammer joined the Austin
American-Statesman
(then called the Austin Statesman), where he won a press award for excellence in writing in 1952. In 1954, he won the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors Contest for a feature sports story written for the same paper.
In 1955, Brammer became an associate editor of the Texas Observer, a magazine of liberal dissent at a time when in Texas "the impulse for dissent scarcely existed." There he attracted the attention of Texas Senator Lyndon Baines Johnson, who invited him to join his staff. While employed by Johnson in Washington, D.C., Brammer began working on his first and only published novel, The Gay Place, which is composed of three related novellas: The Flea Circus, Room Enough to Caper, and Country Pleasures. He sold the book to Houghton Mifflin
in 1959.
Thereafter, Brammer left Johnson's staff to work for the economist Eliot Janeway
. Time
hired Brammer in 1960 to cover civil rights issues from the magazine's Atlanta
office. Brammer left that job in 1961 (the year of the publication of The Gay Place) and never again held sustained employment. He began a sequel to The Gay Place titled "Fustian Days," but it was never completed.
Brammer had three children – Sidney Gail, Shelby Ellen and William Raoul – with Nadine before they divorced in 1961. In 1963, Brammer married Dorothy Browne; they were divorced in 1969.
Brammer died of a drug overdose on February 11, 1978.
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. He is best known for his set of three linked novellas, The Gay Place.
Life
Brammer was born April 21, 1929, in Dallas, TexasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, where he graduated from Sunset High School
Sunset High School (Dallas)
Sunset High School is a public secondary school located in the North Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Texas . The school enrolls students in grades 9-12 and is a part of the Dallas Independent School District. Opened in 1925, Sunset was the second high school in the Oak Cliff area, preceded only by...
. He attended the University of North Texas
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
(then called North Texas State College), and while there met and later married (on April 22, 1950) Nadine Ellen Cannon.
Brammer graduated in 1952 with a degree in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
. After working briefly as a reporter for the Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
Caller-Times
Corpus Christi Caller-Times
The Corpus Christi Caller-Times is the newspaper of record for Corpus Christi, Texas.-Brief history:There has been a newspaper in Corpus Christi for almost as long as there has been a town. In 1883, the Caller was started in a frame building at 310 North Chaparral, now the site of Green's Jewelers....
, Brammer joined the Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
American-Statesman
Austin American-Statesman
The Austin American-Statesman is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is an award-winning publication owned by Cox Enterprises. The Newspaper places focus on issues affecting Austin and the Central Texas region....
(then called the Austin Statesman), where he won a press award for excellence in writing in 1952. In 1954, he won the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors Contest for a feature sports story written for the same paper.
In 1955, Brammer became an associate editor of the Texas Observer, a magazine of liberal dissent at a time when in Texas "the impulse for dissent scarcely existed." There he attracted the attention of Texas Senator Lyndon Baines Johnson, who invited him to join his staff. While employed by Johnson in Washington, D.C., Brammer began working on his first and only published novel, The Gay Place, which is composed of three related novellas: The Flea Circus, Room Enough to Caper, and Country Pleasures. He sold the book to Houghton Mifflin
Houghton Mifflin
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is an educational and trade publisher in the United States. Headquartered in Boston's Back Bay, it publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults.-History:The company was...
in 1959.
Thereafter, Brammer left Johnson's staff to work for the economist Eliot Janeway
Eliot Janeway
Eliot Janeway , born Eliot Jacobstein, was an influential American economist, journalist and author whose career spanned seven decades. He was an economic advisor to Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson. His eclectic approach focused on the interaction between political...
. Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
hired Brammer in 1960 to cover civil rights issues from the magazine's Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
office. Brammer left that job in 1961 (the year of the publication of The Gay Place) and never again held sustained employment. He began a sequel to The Gay Place titled "Fustian Days," but it was never completed.
Brammer had three children – Sidney Gail, Shelby Ellen and William Raoul – with Nadine before they divorced in 1961. In 1963, Brammer married Dorothy Browne; they were divorced in 1969.
Brammer died of a drug overdose on February 11, 1978.
