David Weiss (1909 – November 29, 2002) was an American novelist and writer best known for his bestselling 1963

biographical novel The biographical novel is a genre of novel which provides a fictional account of a contemporary or historical person's life. Like other forms of biographical fiction, details are often trimmed or reimagined to meet the artistic needs of the fiction ...

Naked Came I ''Naked Came I'' is a bestselling 1963 novel by David Weiss based on the life of sculptor Auguste Rodin. ''Naked Came I'' portrays Rodin as driven to be an artist because his temperament would allow him to be nothing else. It shows him as a frie ...

'' about the life of sculptor

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

Biography

Born in 1909, from an early age Weiss showed an interest in the lives of artists and composers. His father was a painter,Weiss, David, ''Justin Moyan'', William Heinemann Ltd., ASIN B00005XKMT (1966) and after Weiss was orphaned at the age of four he was raised in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

by an aunt who owned a Russian restaurant across the street from the Academy of Music.Staff and Wire Reports
''Obituary: David Weiss, 93; Wrote Historical Novels Based on Lives of Artists''
Los Angeles Times, (December 12, 2002) In 1933 he graduated from

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

Variety staff
''Obituary: David Weiss Story editor, historical novelist''
Variety, (December 16, 2002) and moved to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, where he became private secretary to

Erwin Piscator Erwin Friedrich Maximilian Piscator (17 December 1893 – 30 March 1966) was a German theatre director and producer. Along with Bertolt Brecht, he was the foremost exponent of epic theatre, a form that emphasizes the socio-political content of ...

, then head of the

Dramatic Workshop Dramatic Workshop was the name of a drama and acting school associated with the New School for Social Research in New York City. It was launched in 1940 by German expatriate stage director Erwin Piscator. Among the faculty were Lee Strasberg and Ste ...

at the

New School for Social Research The New School for Social Research (NSSR) is a graduate-level educational institution that is one of the divisions of The New School in New York City, United States. The university was founded in 1919 as a home for progressive era thinkers. NSSR ...

; whilst there Weiss did graduate work in dramatics and became an assistant director during the early days of the

Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded ...

. 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 (May 10, 1902June 22, 1965) was an American film producer, screenwriter and film studio executive who produced ''Gone with the Wind'' (1939) and ''Rebecca'' (1940), both of which earned him an Academy Award for Best Picture. E ...

, during which time he worked on the films ''

A Farewell to Arms ''A Farewell to Arms'' is a novel by American writer Ernest Hemingway, set during the Italian campaign of World War I. First published in 1929, it is a first-person account of an American, Frederic Henry, serving as a lieutenant () in the am ...

'' 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

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and

La Jolla, California La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood within the city of San Diego, California, United States, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. La Jolla is surrounded on ...

. 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 is a phlebitis (inflammation of a vein) related to a thrombus (blood clot). When it occurs repeatedly in different locations, it is known as thrombophlebitis migrans (migratory thrombophlebitis). Signs and symptoms The following s ...

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 playsWeiss, David, ''The Guilt Makers'', Rinehart & Company, Inc. library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 52-13575, (1953) and a couple of contemporary set novels, Weiss's speciality was

biographical fiction When studying literature, biography and its relationship to literature is often a subject of literary criticism, and is treated in several different forms. Two scholarly approaches use biography or biographical approaches to the past as a tool for ...

– particularly of artists, such as Titian and Rembrandt. He wrote two novels about

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

: ''Sacred and Profane'' (1968) described by

Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi or Jehudi (Hebrew: יהודי, endonym for Jew) is a common Hebrew name: * Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999), violinist and conductor ** Yehudi Menuhin School, a music school in Surrey, England ** Who's Yehoodi?, a catchphrase referring to the v ...

as ‘a very readable book which portrays the human being behind the music, increasing our love of both'Weiss, David, ''Sacred and Profane'', Hodder Paperbacks Ltd., (1970) 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 JournalWeiss, David, ''I, Rembrandt'', St. Martin’s Press, inc., (1979) ‘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 Mayer Harnick (born April 30, 1924) is an American lyricist and songwriter best known for his collaborations with composer Jerry Bock on musicals such as ''Fiorello!'' and ''Fiddler on the Roof''. Early life Sheldon Mayer Harnick was bo ...

Bibliography

*''The Guilt Makers'' (1953) *''The Spirit and The Flesh'' (1959) inspired by the life of Isadora Duncan *''

'' (1963) based on the life of

*''Justin Moyan'' (1965) inspired by the career of

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

*''Sacred and Profane'' (1968) based on the life of

*''The Assassination of Mozart'' (1970) a fictional investigation into Mozart's death *''No Number Is Greater Than One'' (1972) inspired by the

Watergate scandal The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continual ...

*''Myself, Christopher Wren'' (1973) based on the life of

Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches ...

*''Physician Extraordinary'' (1975) based on the life of William Harvey *''The Venetian'' (1976) based on the life of

Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italians, Italian (Republic of Venice, Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school (art), ...

*''I, Rembrandt'' (1979) based on the life of

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weiss, David 1909 births 2002 deaths 20th-century American novelists American historical novelists American male novelists 20th-century American male writers