Henry Cuyler Bunner (August 3, 1855 – May 11, 1896) was an American novelist, journalist and poet. He is known mainly for ''Tower of Babel''. Bunner's works have been praised by librarians for its "technical dexterity, playfulness and smoothness of finish".

Biography

Henry Cuyler Bunner was born at August 3,1855 in Oswego, New York to Rudolph Bunner Jr. (1813–1875) and Ruth Keating Tuckerman (1821–1896) and was educated in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. His paternal grandparents were

Rudolph Bunner Rudolph Bunner (August 17, 1779 – July 16, 1837) was an American lawyer, businessman, and trade merchant who served one term as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1827 to 1829. He was married to the granddaughter of Revolutionary War Gen ...

(1779–1837) and Elizabeth Church (1783–1867), the daughter of

John Barker Church John Barker Church, John Carter, (October 30, 1748 – April 27, 1818) was an English born businessman and supplier of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He returned to England after the Revolutionary War and served in the Hous ...

(1748–1818) and Angelica Schuyler (1756–1814). Among his works "Airs from Arcady and Elsewhere," published in 1884 and including one of his best known poems, "The Way to Arcady"; "Rowen" (1892), and "Poems" (1896), edited by his friend Brander Matthews and displaying a light play of imagination and a delicate workmanship. He also wrote clever '' vers de société'' and parodies. One of his several plays (usually written in collaboration) was ''The Tower of Babel'' (1883). His short story ''Zenobia's Infidelity'' was made into a feature film called ''

Zenobia Septimia Zenobia ( Palmyrene Aramaic: , , vocalized as ; AD 240 – c. 274) was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. Many legends surround her ancestry; she was probably not a commoner and she married the ruler of the city ...

'' starring

Harry Langdon Harry Philmore Langdon (June 15, 1884 – December 22, 1944) was an American comedian who appeared in vaudeville, silent films (where he had his greatest fame), and talkies.Obituary ''Variety'', December 27, 1944, page 39. Life and career Bor ...

and Oliver Hardy by the

Hal Roach Harry Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr. Skretvedt, Randy (2016), ''Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies'', Bonaventure Press. p.608. (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer, director, and screenwriter, ...

Studio in 1939.

Personal life

Bunner married Alice Learned (1863–1952), daughter of Joshua Coit Learned (1819–1892), and granddaughter of Joshua Coit (1758–1798),

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

. Together, they had: * Rudolph Bunner (1887–1888), who died young * Ruth Tuckerman Bunner (1890–1946), who married Harold Edwin Dimock (1884–1967) in 1917, brother of

Edith Dimock Edith Dimock (February 16, 1876 – October 28, 1955) was an American painter. Her work was exhibited at the 1913 Armory Show in New York. She married fellow artist, William Glackens, but continued to use her maiden name professionally after the ...

(1876–1955), the artist. * Philip Schuyler Bunner (1892–1892), who died young * Laurence H. Bunner (1894–1974) Bunner died on May 11, 1896, in Nutley, New Jersey.

References

External links

* * *
Some H. C. Bunner stories, including 'What Mrs. Fortescue Did' and 'Zenobia's Infidelity' are read in Mister Ron's Basement
Podcast, now indexed for your convenience.
The Best American Humorous Short Stories by H. C. Bunner et al.
Project Gutenberg eBook * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bunner, Henry 1855 births 1896 deaths Schuyler family People from Nutley, New Jersey People from Oswego, New York 19th-century American novelists 19th-century American poets American male novelists American male poets 19th-century male writers Novelists from New York (state)