Stark Young
Encyclopedia
Stark Young was an American
teacher
, playwright
, novelist, painter
, literary critic and essayist.
to Mary Clark Starks and Alfred Alexander Young, a local physician
.
He entered the University of Mississippi
at the age of 15 and graduated from that institution in 1901. He completed his Master's Degree
at Columbia University
in 1902.
Young taught at the University of Mississippi in 1905-1907, and then moved to the University of Texas at Austin
. There he established the Texas Review and became involved with theater.
In 1915 he moved to Amherst College
where he taught English until 1921.
He resigned to pursue other interests and moved to New York City, New York. In New York he was appointed as an editor of Theater Arts Magazine and as drama critic for The New Republic
. Young worked at The New Republic until his retirement in 1947. During this period he was involved with the theater in New York and wrote several plays. Young's plays include: Guenevere, Addio, Madretta, At The Shrine, The Star In The Trees, Twilight Saint, The Dead Poet, The Seven Kings and the Wind, and The Queen of Sheba to name a few.
In 1930 Young contributed to the Agrarian
manifesto, I'll Take My Stand, and was one of 12 known as the Southern Agrarians
.
Young drew on the traditions of his Southern upbringing for inspiration. He wrote essays, journalistic articles, and collections of stories that drew on these sources. He also published four novels dealing with Southern themes.
So Red the Rose, perhaps Young's finest novel, published in 1934, had a brief period of popularity as the archetype of the Southern
Civil War
novel
. The phenomenal success of Gone With the Wind later in the decade pushed Young's book into the background. In 1935, the novel was made into a film of the same name
directed by King Vidor
. Described by its author as a novel of the affections, the book is still in print.
In the 1940s Young, a self-taught artist, began painting. He was the subject of two one-man exhibitions in New York. His paintings were shown in four important venues, including the Art Institute of Chicago
, which purchased one of his paintings for its permanent collection.
In 1951 Young published his memoir
, The Pavilion, dedicated to his friend Allen Tate
.
Young received the Order of the Crown of Italy
for a series of lectures on American theater. He gave them in Italian
as a Westinghouse Lecturer in Italy
.
He served on the board of New York University
and was a critic for the New York Times.
Young suffered a stroke
in May 1959 and died four years later. He was buried in Friendship Cemetery in Como, Mississippi
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, novelist, painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, literary critic and essayist.
Biography
Stark Young was born in Como, MississippiComo, Mississippi
Como is a town in Panola County, Mississippi, United States which borders the Mississippi Delta. The population was 1,310 as of the 2000 census. Wayne Drash, a CNN.com senior producer, described Como as "a hard-hit rural community" in a 2007 article.-History:...
to Mary Clark Starks and Alfred Alexander Young, a local physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
.
He entered the University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
at the age of 15 and graduated from that institution in 1901. He completed his Master's Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1902.
Young taught at the University of Mississippi in 1905-1907, and then moved to the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. There he established the Texas Review and became involved with theater.
In 1915 he moved to Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
where he taught English until 1921.
He resigned to pursue other interests and moved to New York City, New York. In New York he was appointed as an editor of Theater Arts Magazine and as drama critic for The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
. Young worked at The New Republic until his retirement in 1947. During this period he was involved with the theater in New York and wrote several plays. Young's plays include: Guenevere, Addio, Madretta, At The Shrine, The Star In The Trees, Twilight Saint, The Dead Poet, The Seven Kings and the Wind, and The Queen of Sheba to name a few.
In 1930 Young contributed to the Agrarian
Agrarianism
Agrarianism has two common meanings. The first meaning refers to a social philosophy or political philosophy which values rural society as superior to urban society, the independent farmer as superior to the paid worker, and sees farming as a way of life that can shape the ideal social values...
manifesto, I'll Take My Stand, and was one of 12 known as the Southern Agrarians
Southern Agrarians
The Southern Agrarians were a group of twelve American writers, poets, essayists, and novelists, all with roots in the Southern United States, who joined together to write a pro-Southern agrarian manifesto, a...
.
Young drew on the traditions of his Southern upbringing for inspiration. He wrote essays, journalistic articles, and collections of stories that drew on these sources. He also published four novels dealing with Southern themes.
So Red the Rose, perhaps Young's finest novel, published in 1934, had a brief period of popularity as the archetype of the Southern
Southern literature
Southern literature is defined as American literature about the Southern United States or by writers from this region...
Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
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....
. The phenomenal success of Gone With the Wind later in the decade pushed Young's book into the background. In 1935, the novel was made into a film of the same name
So Red the Rose (1935 film)
So Red the Rose is a 1935 motion picture drama directed by King Vidor. The Civil War-era romance is based on the 1934 novel of the same name by Stark Young.-Primary cast:*Margaret Sullavan - Valette Bedford, a plantation mistress...
directed by King Vidor
King Vidor
King Wallis Vidor was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose career spanned nearly seven decades...
. Described by its author as a novel of the affections, the book is still in print.
In the 1940s Young, a self-taught artist, began painting. He was the subject of two one-man exhibitions in New York. His paintings were shown in four important venues, including the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
, which purchased one of his paintings for its permanent collection.
In 1951 Young published his memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
, The Pavilion, dedicated to his friend Allen Tate
Allen Tate
John Orley Allen Tate was an American poet, essayist, social commentator, and Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 1943 to 1944.-Life:...
.
Young received the Order of the Crown of Italy
Order of the Crown of Italy
The Order of the Crown of Italy was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861...
for a series of lectures on American theater. He gave them in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
as a Westinghouse Lecturer in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
He served on the board of New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and was a critic for the New York Times.
Young suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in May 1959 and died four years later. He was buried in Friendship Cemetery in Como, Mississippi
Como, Mississippi
Como is a town in Panola County, Mississippi, United States which borders the Mississippi Delta. The population was 1,310 as of the 2000 census. Wayne Drash, a CNN.com senior producer, described Como as "a hard-hit rural community" in a 2007 article.-History:...
.
Legacy and honors
- Elected to New York University's Hall of Fame.
- He was awarded Brandeis UniversityBrandeis UniversityBrandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
's Creative Arts Medallion. - Received the South Eastern Theatre Conference's Distinguished Career Award.