David Weiss (novelist)
Encyclopedia
David Weiss was an American novelist and writer best known for his bestselling 1963 biographical novel Naked Came I
about the life of sculptor Auguste Rodin. Weiss’s novels have been published in America and Europe, and translated into 27 languages.
.
In 1933 he graduated from Temple University
and moved to New York
, where he became private secretary to Erwin Piscator
, then head of the Dramatic Workshop at the New School for Social Research
; whilst there Weiss did graduate work in dramatics and became an assistant director during the early days of the Actors Studio
.
Following an unsuccessful career as an actor Weiss worked at more than 50 jobs before turning to writing. As Weiss himself remarked: ‘It is a cliché today for a writer to have had many jobs in search of experience and I have stretched this cliché to breaking point.' Among the many jobs he held were stevedore, plumber’s help, lifeguard, meat loader and swimming coach. He also spent seven years as Eastern Story Editor for movie producer David O. Selznick
, during which time he worked on the films A Farewell to Arms
and Tender is the Night.
David Weiss was married to the poet, artist and Group Theatre playwright Stymean Karlen for 53 years, until her death in 1998. Karlen often contributed poetry to Weiss’s novels, and the couple lived in New York, London and La Jolla, California. After her death Weiss wrote a biography of his wife, Forever and After.
David Weiss died on November 29, 2002 at a La Jolla Hospital. The cause was thrombophlebitis
and complications from a fall. He was 93.
Although he wrote plays and a couple of contemporary set novels, Weiss’s speciality was biographical fiction – particularly of artists, such as Titian and Rembrandt. He wrote two novels about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sacred and Profane (1968) described by Yehudi Menuhin
as ‘a very readable book which portrays the human being behind the music, increasing our love of both' and The Assassination of Mozart (1970) a fictitious examination of the mysteries surrounding the composer’s death.
The following are a selection of the critical plaudits Weiss received during his career:
‘There is a rich, tapestried quality to The Venetian. It is not only an absorbing story but an intelligent book showing Mr Weiss again to be one of the best practitioners of the biographical novel, especially perceptive in the study of artists.’ – Edmund Fuller, The Wall Street Journal
‘If all history were written as David Weiss wrote Myself, Christopher Wren, you would have to stand in line to sign up for history courses throughout the world.’ – Tom Ferris, The Miami Herald
The Spirit and the Flesh ‘is a monumental work in which the author’s stupendous capacity for biographical research is surpassed only by his brilliance as a novelist with a fine sense of the dramatic.’ – King Features
Sacred and Profane: ‘I have read a number of biographies of Mozart, but I have never been so caught up in the essential tragedy of his life, nor so moved by the frustrating and heartbreaking circumstances of his day to day struggles.’ – Sheldon Harnick
Naked Came I
Naked Came I is a bestselling 1963 historical novel by David Weiss based on the life of sculptor Auguste Rodin.Naked Came I portrays Rodin as a born artist who was driven to be an artist because his desire and temperament would allow him to be nothing else...
about the life of sculptor Auguste Rodin. Weiss’s novels have been published in America and Europe, and translated into 27 languages.
Biography
Born in 1909, from an early age Weiss showed an interest in the lives of artists and composers. His father was a painter, and after Weiss was orphaned at the age of four he was raised in Philadelphia by an aunt who owned a Russian restaurant across the street from the Academy of MusicAcademy of Music (Philadelphia)
The Academy of Music, also known as American Academy of Music, is a concert hall and opera house located at Broad and Locust Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1857 and is the oldest opera house in the United States that is still used for its original purpose...
.
In 1933 he graduated from Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
and moved to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he became private secretary to Erwin Piscator
Erwin Piscator
Erwin Friedrich Maximilian Piscator was a German theatre director and producer and, with Bertolt Brecht, the foremost exponent of epic theatre, a form that emphasizes the socio-political content of drama, rather than its emotional manipulation of the audience or on the production's formal...
, then head of the Dramatic Workshop at the New School for Social Research
The New School
The New School is a university in New York City, located mostly in Greenwich Village. From its founding in 1919 by progressive New York academics, and for most of its history, the university was known as the New School for Social Research. Between 1997 and 2005 it was known as New School University...
; whilst there Weiss did graduate work in dramatics and became an assistant director during the early days of the Actors Studio
Actors Studio
The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street in the Clinton neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded October 5, 1947, by Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford, Robert Lewis and Anna Sokolow who provided...
.
Following an unsuccessful career as an actor Weiss worked at more than 50 jobs before turning to writing. As Weiss himself remarked: ‘It is a cliché today for a writer to have had many jobs in search of experience and I have stretched this cliché to breaking point.' Among the many jobs he held were stevedore, plumber’s help, lifeguard, meat loader and swimming coach. He also spent seven years as Eastern Story Editor for movie producer David O. Selznick
David O. Selznick
David O. Selznick was an American film producer. He is best known for having produced Gone with the Wind and Rebecca , both of which earned him an Oscar for Best Picture.-Early years:...
, during which time he worked on the films A Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms (1957 film)
A Farewell to Arms is a 1957 American drama film directed by Charles Vidor. The screenplay by Ben Hecht, based in part on a 1930 play by Laurence Stallings, was the second feature film adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's 1929 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name. It was the last film produced...
and Tender is the Night.
David Weiss was married to the poet, artist and Group Theatre playwright Stymean Karlen for 53 years, until her death in 1998. Karlen often contributed poetry to Weiss’s novels, and the couple lived in New York, London and La Jolla, California. After her death Weiss wrote a biography of his wife, Forever and After.
David Weiss died on November 29, 2002 at a La Jolla Hospital. The cause was thrombophlebitis
Thrombophlebitis
Thrombophlebitis is phlebitis related to a thrombus . When it occurs repeatedly in different locations, it is known as "Thrombophlebitis migrans" or "migrating thrombophlebitis".-Signs and symptoms:...
and complications from a fall. He was 93.
Writing
In 1953 Weiss published his first novel, The Guilt Makers, which won the $5,000 Frieder Literary Award for best novel on a Jewish theme published in America. This was followed in 1959 by The Spirit and the Flesh (inspired by the life of the dancer Isadora Duncan) and his most successful book Naked Came I in 1963.Although he wrote plays and a couple of contemporary set novels, Weiss’s speciality was biographical fiction – particularly of artists, such as Titian and Rembrandt. He wrote two novels about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sacred and Profane (1968) described by Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...
as ‘a very readable book which portrays the human being behind the music, increasing our love of both' and The Assassination of Mozart (1970) a fictitious examination of the mysteries surrounding the composer’s death.
The following are a selection of the critical plaudits Weiss received during his career:
‘There is a rich, tapestried quality to The Venetian. It is not only an absorbing story but an intelligent book showing Mr Weiss again to be one of the best practitioners of the biographical novel, especially perceptive in the study of artists.’ – Edmund Fuller, The Wall Street Journal
‘If all history were written as David Weiss wrote Myself, Christopher Wren, you would have to stand in line to sign up for history courses throughout the world.’ – Tom Ferris, The Miami Herald
The Spirit and the Flesh ‘is a monumental work in which the author’s stupendous capacity for biographical research is surpassed only by his brilliance as a novelist with a fine sense of the dramatic.’ – King Features
Sacred and Profane: ‘I have read a number of biographies of Mozart, but I have never been so caught up in the essential tragedy of his life, nor so moved by the frustrating and heartbreaking circumstances of his day to day struggles.’ – Sheldon Harnick
Sheldon Harnick
Sheldon Harnick is an American lyricist best known for his collaborations with composer Jerry Bock on hit musicals such as Fiddler on the Roof....