Ruth Moore (1903–1989) was an important Maine writer of the twentieth century. She is best known for her honest portrayals of Maine people and evocative descriptions of the state. Now primarily thought of as a regional writer, Moore was a significant literary figure on the national stage during her career. Her second novel ''Spoonhandle'' spent fourteen weeks on the

New York Times bestseller list ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...

in the company of George Orwell,

W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

and

Robert Penn Warren Robert Penn Warren (April 24, 1905 – September 15, 1989) was an American poet, novelist, and literary critic and was one of the founders of New Criticism. He was also a charter member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He founded the liter ...

. In her time, Moore was hailed as "New England's only answer to Faulkner".''When Foley Craddock Tore Off My Grandfather's Thumb'', Blackberry Books, 2004.

Life

Moore's family first settled the Maine midcoast region in the late 18th century. She was born in 1903 on Gotts Island, a small island just off the southwestern tip of

Mount Desert Island Mount Desert Island (MDI; french: Île des Monts Déserts) in Hancock County, Maine, is the largest island off the coast of Maine. With an area of it is the 52nd-largest island in the United States, the sixth-largest island in the contiguous ...

, Maine. Moore attended Albany State Teacher's College (now SUNY Albany) and majored in English and economics. In 1926, Moore moved to New York City where she worked as personal secretary to

Mary White Ovington Mary White Ovington (April 11, 1865 – July 15, 1951) was an American suffragist, journalist, and co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Biography Mary White Ovington was born April 11, 1865, in Bro ...

, one of the founders of the NAACP. Ovington had spent many summers at her brother's cottage on Gotts Island and had gotten to know the Moore family. In 1929 Moore accepted a position as Assistant Campaign Manager with the NAACP working directly for the organization's head

James Weldon Johnson James Weldon Johnson (June 17, 1871June 26, 1938) was an American writer and civil rights activist. He was married to civil rights activist Grace Nail Johnson. Johnson was a leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peop ...

. In the summer of 1930, she traveled to the south as an NAACP investigator, where she successfully unearthed evidence that led to the freeing to two African American youths falsely accused of murder.Richard Hallet, "Spoonhandle Comes Back To Maine", ''Portland Sunday Telegram'', October 5, 1947. Moore's first published work, a poem "Voyage", appeared in a 1929 issue of the ''

Saturday Review of Literature ''Saturday Review'', previously ''The Saturday Review of Literature'', was an American weekly magazine established in 1924. Norman Cousins was the editor from 1940 to 1971. Under Norman Cousins, it was described as "a compendium of reportage, ess ...

''. Moore returned to Maine in late 1930. She enrolled in a master's program at the University of Maine, but left after one semester and returned to New York City. From 1932 to 1935, Moore worked as assistant to Dr.

John Haynes Holmes John Haynes Holmes (November 29, 1879 – April 3, 1964) was an American Unitarian minister, pacifist, and co-founder of the NAACP and the ACLU. He is noted for his anti-war activism. Early life Holmes was born in Philadelphia on November 2 ...

, a prominent minister and associate of Ovington's. In 1935, the novelist Alice Tisdale Hobart hired Moore. She moved with the Hobarts, first to Washington, D.C., then to Berkeley California. During a visit to Maine in 1940, Moore's sister introduced her to Eleanor Mayo. Mayo accompanied Moore on her return to California with the intention of attending the University of California. The two would remain together until Mayo's death from a brain tumor in 1981. Moore and Mayo moved back to the East Coast in 1941. After a brief stay on Gotts Island, the couple moved to New York City. Moore quickly found a job at ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wif ...

''. Moore's debut novel, ''The Weir'', was published in 1943. Her story "It Don't Change Much" was published in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' in 1945. In 1946, Moore followed her earlier success with her sophomore novel, ''Spoonhandle''. She sold the film rights to

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

. The film, retitled ''Deep Waters'', was filmed on location in

Vinalhaven, Maine Vinalhaven is a town on the larger of the two Fox Islands in Knox County, Maine, United States. Vinalhaven is also used to refer to the island itself. The population was 1,279 at the 2020 census. It is home to a thriving lobster fishery and ho ...

and released in 1948. The sale of ''Spoonhandle'' gave Moore the financial success she needed to return to Maine. She and Mayo purchased land on the west side of Mount Desert Island and set about building their house. Though the couple traveled extensively, they never again moved away from their beloved Maine. By 1979, Moore had published 13 novels including The Walk Down Main Street (1960), The Sea Flower (1965), and The Gold and Silver Hooks (1969). She also published 3 books of poetry—one of which, Cold as a Dog and the Wind Northeast, was published by folklorist and singer-songwriter

Gordon Bok Gordon Bok (born October 31, 1939) is an American folklorist and singer-songwriter, who grew up in Camden, Maine and is associated with music from New England. Career Bok's first album, self-titled, was produced by Noel Paul Stookey (Paul of P ...

of Camden, Maine. Moore died in nearby

Bar Harbor Bar Harbor is a resort town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population is 5,089. During the summer and fall seasons, it is a popular tourist destination and, until a catastrophic fire ...

in December 1989.

The regional label

For much of her literary life, Moore resisted being classified as a "regional" author. In a 1980 letter to author Sanford Phippen, she described "regional" as one of only two dirty words — the other being "interview". In the same letter, she stressed her belief that Maine "is a microcosm of everywhere else."''High Clouds Soaring, Storms Driving Low: The Letters of Ruth Moore,'' Sanford Phippen, editor, Blackberry Books, 1993, p. 371. Editor Sven Davisson writes in the introduction to ''Foley Craddock'', "

oore Oore is a village in Tori Parish, Pärnu County in southwestern Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Fin ...

was a regional writer only in the sense that one could call Faulkner regional, in that he wrote of his 'postage stamp of soil.' Both writers had the gift of capturing the universal in the local... A novel about New York City or Chicago is ever and always about New York City or Chicago, while a novel about Maine or Jefferson, Mississippi, in adept hands, could be about any place in the world."''Foley Craddock'', p. xiv.

Assessment of her writing

Though lauded by the reviewers of the '' New York Herald'' and '' Saturday Review'', Moore drew mixed reviews from the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. Eventually the ''Times'' quit reviewing her books.. Her book sales came, for the most part, from book clubs and through serialization in magazines. Her book sales diminished appreciably within her lifetime, and Moore was eventually dropped by her publisher. Today her books are re-printed by a small press in Maine, and her books are often sold in Maine book and souvenir shops.

Bibliography

Novels

* ''The Weir'' (1943) * ''Spoonhandle'' (1946) * ''The Fire Balloon'' (1948) * ''Candlemas Bay'' (1950) * ''Jeb Ellis of Candlemas Bay'' (1952) * ''A Fair Wind Home'' (1953) * ''Speak to the Winds'' (1956) * ''The Walk Down Maine Street'' (1960) * ''Second Growth'' (1962) * ''The Sea Flower'' (1964) * ''The Gold and Silver Hooks'' (1969) * ''"Lizzie" & Caroline'' (1972) * ''Dinosaur Bite'' (1976) * ''Sarah Walked Over the Mountain'' (1979)

Poetry

* ''Cold As a Dog and the Wind Northeast'' (1958) * ''Time's Web: Poems by Ruth Moore'' (1972) * ''The Tired Apple Tree: Poems and Ballads'' (1990)

Collections

* ''High Clouds Soaring, Storms Driving Low: The Letters of Ruth Moore'' (1993) * ''When Foley Craddock Tore Off My Grandfather's Thumb: The Collected Stories of Ruth Moore and Eleanor Mayo'' (2004)

Short fiction and essays

* “Pennies in the Water,” ''The American Girl'' July 1942 * “The Ladies from Philadelphia,” ''Harper's Bazaar'' August 1945 * “It Don't Change Much,” ''The New Yorker'' October 1945 * “Farmer Takes a Newspaper,” ''The Saturday Review of Literature'' July 1948 * “The First Christmas Spent in the House Ruth Built,” ''Boston Sunday Post'' December 1963 * “The Lonely of Heart,” ''Puckerbrush Review'' 1989 * “How Come You're Picking My Violets,” ''Tuesday Weekly'' * “Some Notes On Clerks of the Works,” ''Bar Harbor Times'' * “St. Columba's Mission,” ''Ashé Journal'' 3(2) Summer 2004