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William Edmund Barrett (November 16, 1900 – September 14, 1986) was an American writer, best known for the 1962 novella ''The Lilies of the Field''.
/ref> In 1916, he and his family moved to Denver, Colorado. He returned east to attend
/ref> From 1923-1929 he worked as the Rocky Mountain advertising manager for Westinghouse. He married Christine M. Rollman on February 15, 1925."Barrett, William E." snac
/ref> Deeply interested in aviation, he was a civilian lecturer for the
"Author William E. Barrett Dies at 85", ''Los Angeles Times'', September 17, 1986
/ref>
*''Woman on Horseback'' (1938)
*''Flight from Youth'' (1939)
*''Aviation as a Business'' (1945)
*''The Evil Heart'' (1946)
*''The Number of My Days'' (1946)
*''To the Last Man'' (1948)
*''The Left Hand of God'' (1951)
*''Shadows of the Images'' (1953)
*''The Sudden Strangers'' (1956)
*''The Empty Shrine'' (1958)
*''The First War Planes'' (1960)
*''The Edge of Things'' (1960)
*'' The Lilies of the Field'' (1962)
*''The Fools of Time'' (1963)
*''The Shepherd of Mankind'' (1964)
*''The Glory Tent'' (1967)
*''The Red Lacquered Gate'' (1967)
*''The Wine and the Music'' (also under the title ''Pieces of Dreams'') (1968)
*''A Woman in the House'' (1971)
*''The Shape of Illusion'' (1972)
*''Lady of the Lotus'' (1975)
William E. Barrett Papers, 1926–1975 (Finding Aid), University of Denver
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, William Edmund 1900 births 1986 deaths American male novelists Manhattan College alumni 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers Writers from New York City Novelists from New York (state) Catholics from New York (state) Writers from Denver Novelists from Colorado Catholics from Colorado
Life
Barrett was born inNew York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
November 16, 1900, to John Joseph and Eleanor Margaret (Flannery) Barrett. His family was Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
."William E. Barrett dies at 85; Author of 'Lilies of the Field'", ''The New York Times'', September 17,, 1986/ref> In 1916, he and his family moved to Denver, Colorado. He returned east to attend
Manhattan College
Manhattan College is a private, Catholic, liberal arts university in the Bronx, New York City. Originally established in 1853 by the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Christian Brothers) as an academy for day students, it was la ...
, from which he was graduated in 1922.
Barrett spent most of his life in Denver.King, David A., "The heart of Barrett’s ‘The Lilies of the Field’", ''The Georgia Bulletin'', March 20, 2014/ref> From 1923-1929 he worked as the Rocky Mountain advertising manager for Westinghouse. He married Christine M. Rollman on February 15, 1925."Barrett, William E." snac
/ref> Deeply interested in aviation, he was a civilian lecturer for the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
, and worked as an aeronautics consultant with the Denver Public Library from 1941 on. He received a citation from Regis College in 1956.
Writing
In a writing career that spanned over 50 years, Barrett's works include short stories, biographies, novels, reviews and non-fiction. In 1929, he began writing freelance for pulp magazines. His first novel, ''Woman on Horseback'' was published in 1938. In 1964, he wrote ''Shepherd of Mankind'', a biography ofPope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...
.
He was a member of PEN
A pen is a common writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a nib or in a small void or cavity whic ...
and the Authors League of America. In 1961 he received an Honorary Doctor of Literature degree from Creighton University
Creighton University is a private Jesuit research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate and undergra ...
. He was a member of the National Press Club
Organizations
A press club is an organization for journalists and others professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Press ...
of Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
and the Colorado Authors League, serving as its president from 1943–1944.
Three of his novels were made into films:
*''The Left Hand of God
''The Left Hand of God'' is a 1955 American Drama Western film. It was directed by Edward Dmytryk and produced by Buddy Adler, from a screenplay by Alfred Hayes, based on the novel ''The Left Hand of God'', by William Edmund Barrett.
Set in a ...
'', starring Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...
*'' Lilies of the Field'' based on his novel '' The Lilies of the Field'', featuring Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was an American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive ...
*'' Pieces of Dreams'', based on ''The Wine and the Music''.
Barrett had been in poor health after suffering a heart attack and died in his sleep in Denver September 14, 1986 at the age of eighty-five./ref>
Bibliography
*''Woman on Horseback'' (1938)
*''Flight from Youth'' (1939)
*''Aviation as a Business'' (1945)
*''The Evil Heart'' (1946)
*''The Number of My Days'' (1946)
*''To the Last Man'' (1948)
*''The Left Hand of God'' (1951)
*''Shadows of the Images'' (1953)
*''The Sudden Strangers'' (1956)
*''The Empty Shrine'' (1958)
*''The First War Planes'' (1960)
*''The Edge of Things'' (1960)
*'' The Lilies of the Field'' (1962)
*''The Fools of Time'' (1963)
*''The Shepherd of Mankind'' (1964)
*''The Glory Tent'' (1967)
*''The Red Lacquered Gate'' (1967)
*''The Wine and the Music'' (also under the title ''Pieces of Dreams'') (1968)
*''A Woman in the House'' (1971)
*''The Shape of Illusion'' (1972)
*''Lady of the Lotus'' (1975)
See also
* List of Manhattan College peopleReferences
External links
*William E. Barrett Papers, 1926–1975 (Finding Aid), University of Denver
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, William Edmund 1900 births 1986 deaths American male novelists Manhattan College alumni 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers Writers from New York City Novelists from New York (state) Catholics from New York (state) Writers from Denver Novelists from Colorado Catholics from Colorado