Thomas Bell (novelist)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Bell was an American
novelist.
Bell was born Adalbert Thomas Belejcak on March 7, 1903 in Braddock, Pennsylvania
, USA of immigrant Lemko Rusyn
parents (Mary Krachun and Michael Belejcak) from the village of Nižný Tvarožec
, Slovak republic. He worked in the steel mills there, beginning at the age of fifteen as an apprentice electrician. In 1922 Bell moved to New York City
and worked variously as a mechanic, a merchant seaman, and a bookstore clerk.
His first novel, The Breed of Basil, was published in 1930. From 1933 he devoted all of his time to writing, completing five more novels: The Second Prince (1935), All Brides Are Beautiful (1936) (also produced as a film called From This Day Forward), Out of This Furnace
(1941), Till I Come Back to You (1943) (which had a life on Broadway as The World Is Full of Girls), and There Comes a Time (1946). Bell, with his wife Marie, moved to California
in 1955. He died from cancer on January 17, 1961, his own account of which – In the Midst of Life – was published posthumously that same year by Atheneum. Bell's reputation as a writer increased dramatically in 1976 when the University of Pittsburgh Press
reissued Out of This Furnace to wide acclaim.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist.
Bell was born Adalbert Thomas Belejcak on March 7, 1903 in Braddock, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, USA of immigrant Lemko Rusyn
Rusyns
Carpatho-Rusyns are a primarily diasporic ethnic group who speak an Eastern Slavic language, or Ukrainian dialect, known as Rusyn. Carpatho-Rusyns descend from a minority of Ruthenians who did not adopt the use of the ethnonym "Ukrainian" in the early twentieth century...
parents (Mary Krachun and Michael Belejcak) from the village of Nižný Tvarožec
Nižný Tvarožec
Nižný Tvarožec is a village and municipality in Bardejov District in the Prešov Region of north-east Slovakia.-History:In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1355....
, Slovak republic. He worked in the steel mills there, beginning at the age of fifteen as an apprentice electrician. In 1922 Bell moved to New York City
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...
and worked variously as a mechanic, a merchant seaman, and a bookstore clerk.
His first novel, The Breed of Basil, was published in 1930. From 1933 he devoted all of his time to writing, completing five more novels: The Second Prince (1935), All Brides Are Beautiful (1936) (also produced as a film called From This Day Forward), Out of This Furnace
Out of This Furnace
Out of This Furnace is a historical novel and the best-known work of the American writer Thomas Bell .The novel is set in Braddock, Pennsylvania, a steel town just east of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania along the Monongahela River. It was first published in 1941 by Little, Brown and Company...
(1941), Till I Come Back to You (1943) (which had a life on Broadway as The World Is Full of Girls), and There Comes a Time (1946). Bell, with his wife Marie, moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1955. He died from cancer on January 17, 1961, his own account of which – In the Midst of Life – was published posthumously that same year by Atheneum. Bell's reputation as a writer increased dramatically in 1976 when the University of Pittsburgh Press
University of Pittsburgh Press
The University of Pittsburgh Press is a scholarly publishing house and a major American university press, part of the University of Pittsburgh. The university and the press are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States....
reissued Out of This Furnace to wide acclaim.