Anthony Robinson (born 1931) is an American novelist and short story writer. He is

professor emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

of English and the former director of the

creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...

program at the State University of New York at New Paltz.

Personal life

The son of novelist

Henry Morton Robinson Henry Morton Robinson (September 7, 1898 – January 13, 1961) was an American novelist, best known for '' A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake'' written with Joseph Campbell and his 1950 novel ''The Cardinal'', which ''Time'' magazine reported w ...

, he grew up in the Maverick Artists Colony in

Woodstock, New York Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the northern part of the county, northwest of Kingston, NY. It lies within the borders of the Catskill Park. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 in 20 ...

. He graduated from

Phillips Academy Andover ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...

(1949) and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

(''cum laude'', 1953), where

Mark Van Doren Mark Van Doren (June 13, 1894 – December 10, 1972) was an American poet, writer and critic. He was a scholar and a professor of English at Columbia University for nearly 40 years, where he inspired a generation of influential writers and thin ...

and George Nobbe encouraged him to pursue a career in writing. He served on active duty in the

United States Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Se ...

from 1953 to 1956 in the final days of the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, ultimately attaining the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

. He then received his

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in English from Columbia in 1960. Robinson joined the New Paltz faculty in 1964 and remained there (spending the academic year of 1971–1972 teaching at the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

at Vincennes) until his retirement in 2000. His first marriage ended in 1976 with the death of his wife, Mary. He remarried in 1998, to artist Tatiana Padwa, a childhood friend from Woodstock. He has two children, Jennifer and Henry, from his first marriage.

Career

A story he wrote aboard ship, “The Farlow Express,” was published in ''

Prairie Schooner ''Prairie Schooner'' is a literary magazine published quarterly at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with the cooperation of UNL's English Department and the University of Nebraska Press. It is based in Lincoln, Nebraska and was first publish ...

''http://www.faqs.org/copyright/prairie-schooner-journal-vol-36-no-2-summer-1962-by-edward/ Prairie schooner. Vol. 30, no. 3, fall 1956 and was later included in The Best American Short Stories of 1957. His first novel, ''A Departure From the Rules'', the story of the worst peacetime disaster in the history of the United States Navy, drew on his Navy experience, and was cited by critics for its "extraordinary skill" (Chicago 1960). He then turned his attention to the moral issues of contemporary society in ''The Easy Way'', praised for its "insights into the legal profession" (Buffalo), ''Home Again, Home Again'', which drew on his experience in the Maverick Artists Colony, "for which the author has a visible attachment" (Levin), and ''The Whole Truth'', "an attention-grabber that will not let go until the last words have been read" (Times-Herald). His 1991 novel, ''The Member-Guest'', has been described as "the consummate golf novel" (Falco).

Bibliography

Books

*''A Departure from the Rules'' (novel; Putnam, 1960) *''The Easy Way'' (novel; Simon & Schuster, 1963) *''Home Again, Home Again'' (novel; William Morrow, 1969) *''The Whole Truth'' (novel; Donald I. Fine, 1990) *''The Member-Guest'' (novel; Donald I. Fine, 1991) *''The American Golfer'' (novel; CreateSpace, 2010) *''The Floodplain'' (novel; Codhill Press, 2011) *''New Water'' (short stories; CreateSpace, 2013) *''Father of the Man; (novel; CreateSpace, 2018)

Short Stories

*''My Finnegan'' (1949) *''The Farlow Express'' (1956) *''The Lesson'' (1961) *''The Dirt Machine'' (1964) *''Navy Buttons'' (1965) *''A Turn In The Match'' (1982) *''Zerk the Jerk'' (1985) *''The 3-Mile Run'' (2007)

References

*''Who's Who in America'' * ''Buffalo Evening News'', Buffalo, NY, February 23, 1963 *''Chicago Sunday Tribune'', March 20, 1960 *Falco, Edward. ''Roanoke Times & World-News'', Roanoke, VA, October 20, 1991 *Levin, Martin. ''The New York Times Book Review'', January 19, 1969 *''St. Petersburg Times'', St. Petersburg, FL, January 13, 1963 *''The Times-Herald'', Newport News, VA, July 8, 1990 *''Kingston Daily Freeman'', Kingston, NY, July 16, 2010

External links

Anthony Robinson's Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Anthony 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American male novelists University at Albany, SUNY faculty Novelists from New York (state) 1931 births Living people People from Woodstock, New York 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Military personnel from New York (state) Columbia College (New York) alumni United States Navy personnel of the Korean War United States Navy officers United States Navy reservists