Mac Hyman
Encyclopedia
Mac Hyman was an American
fiction writer whose best-selling comic novel
No Time for Sergeants
was adapted into a popular Broadway play
and a motion picture.
, where he discovered his passion for writing as a student in high school, and first displayed his skill in a humorous article published in the school newspaper.http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-986 Following a year at North Georgia College and State University
, he attended Duke University
starting in 1941. He interrupted his studies to serve in the United States Army Air Forces
during World War II
as a photo navigator. When he returned to Duke in 1946, his talent was recognized by his creative writing professor, William Blackburn, who became his mentor and lifelong friend, and who eventually edited his collected letters. Just before graduating from Duke in February 1947, Hyman married his high school sweetheart, Gwendolyn Holt. In 1949, after the first of his three children was born, he reenlisted in the air force and served until 1952.
and published in 1954. The popularity of the book resulted in a Broadway show and a film, which launched the career of Andy Griffith
.
Hyman's daughter Gwyn Hyman Rubio
is the author of Icy Sparks
and The Woodsman's Daughter.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fiction writer whose best-selling comic novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
No Time for Sergeants
No Time for Sergeants
No Time for Sergeants is a 1954 best-selling novel by Mac Hyman, which was later adapted into a teleplay on The United States Steel Hour, a popular Broadway play and 1958 motion picture, as well as a 1964 television series. The book chronicles the misadventures of a country bumpkin named Will...
was adapted into a popular Broadway play
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and a motion picture.
Early life and service
Hyman was born in Cordele, GeorgiaCordele, Georgia
Cordele, also known as The Watermelon Capital of the World, is a city in Crisp County, Georgia, United States. The population was 11,608 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Crisp County...
, where he discovered his passion for writing as a student in high school, and first displayed his skill in a humorous article published in the school newspaper.http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-986 Following a year at North Georgia College and State University
North Georgia College and State University
North Georgia College & State University is a four-year public university located in Dahlonega, Lumpkin County, Georgia. Founded as North Georgia Agricultural College in 1873, it is the second oldest co-educational institution in the state. The university is renowned for its ROTC program, and is...
, he attended Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
starting in 1941. He interrupted his studies to serve in the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as a photo navigator. When he returned to Duke in 1946, his talent was recognized by his creative writing professor, William Blackburn, who became his mentor and lifelong friend, and who eventually edited his collected letters. Just before graduating from Duke in February 1947, Hyman married his high school sweetheart, Gwendolyn Holt. In 1949, after the first of his three children was born, he reenlisted in the air force and served until 1952.
Writing debut
Between 1947 to 1954, drawing heavily on his personal experiences from the army, Hyman worked on No Time for Sergeants, the misadventures of a country bumpkin draftee named Will Stockdale, whose hometown of Callville closely resembles Cordele, and who narrates his own story in an uneducated southern dialect. Several publishers rejected the manuscript before it was finally accepted by Random HouseRandom House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
and published in 1954. The popularity of the book resulted in a Broadway show and a film, which launched the career of Andy Griffith
Andy Griffith
Andy Samuel Griffith is an American actor, director, producer, Grammy Award-winning Southern-gospel singer, and writer. He gained prominence in the starring role in director Elia Kazan's epic film A Face in the Crowd before he became better known for his television roles, playing the lead...
.
After No Time for Sergeants
Hyman, who was living in Cordele with his wife and three children, had published just three short stories and was struggling with his second novel when he died of a heart attack in 1963, just one month before his fortieth birthday. That second novel, Take Now Thy Son, and a collection of Hyman's letters entitled Love, Boy: The Letters of Mac Hyman were both published posthumously.Other works and facts
His short story "The Hundredth Centennial" was published by The Paris Review in 1954. http://www.theparisreview.com/viewissue.php/prmIID/7 Another short story, "The Dove Shoot" was published in a collection of works by Duke authors in 1963. http://books.google.com/books?id=nYuwo2FSl7UC&pg=PP1&ots=UgXrmy7nt1&dq=Under+Twenty-Five:+Duke+Narrative+and+Verse,+1945-1962:+A+Collection+of+Short+Stories+and+Verse+by+Sixteen+Duke+Authors&sig=pchL7hbfvA2NZPbTfHj0xSRZp4MHyman's daughter Gwyn Hyman Rubio
Gwyn Hyman Rubio
Gwyn Hyman Rubio is an American author, best known for her novel Icy Sparks.Rubio was born in Macon, Georgia, and graduated from Florida State University in 1971 with a degree in English. She then joined the Peace Corps and spent several years working as a teacher in Costa Rica. After returning to...
is the author of Icy Sparks
Icy Sparks
Icy Sparks is a novel by Gwyn Hyman Rubio, and was chosen as an Oprah's Book Club Selection.-Plot introduction:A young girl struggling with accusations of Tourette's Syndrome lives in Eastern Kentucky in 1956.-Plot summary:...
and The Woodsman's Daughter.