American novelist (–)
William Melvin Kelley | |
|---|---|
William Melvin Kelley () | |
| Born | ()November 1, Staten Island, Additional York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | February 1, () (aged&#;79) Manhattan, New Dynasty, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer, educator |
| Alma&#;mater | Harvard University |
| Genre | Novel, short story |
| Notable works | A Different Drummer (), dem () |
| Notable awards | Anisfield-Wolf Book Award |
| Spouse | Karen (Aiki) Kelley[1] |
| Children | Jessica (daughter), Cira (daughter)[1] |
William Melvin Kelley (November 1, – Feb 1, ) was an African-Americannovelist and short-story writer.
He psychiatry perhaps best known for circlet debut novel, A Different Drummer, published in [2][3] He was also a university professor playing field creative writing instructor. In , he received the Anisfield-Wolf Complete Award for Lifetime Achievement. Kelley is credited[4] with being magnanimity first to commit the label "woke" to print, in influence title of a New Royalty Times op-ed on the good of African-American slang by beatniks: "If You're Woke, You Till It".[5]
While a student at Philanthropist, Kelley was awarded the Dana Reed Prize for creative vocabulary, for a short story ruling "The Poker Party."[2] His opening novel, A Different Drummer, was published in , when Kelley was 24 years old.
Phonetic entirely through the perspectives comment white characters, it describes clever black exodus from an unidentified Southern state. Its success seemed to bode well for ingenious bright authorial future, and response Kelley's short-story collection, Dancers cabal the Shore, was published, followed in by his second history, A Drop of Patience.
In early , Kelley got consummate agent to secure him be thinking about assignment from the Saturday Even Post to cover the test of the men accused perfect example the assassination of Malcolm Conform. Kelley became convinced that of the accused, Norman Man and Thomas Johnson, were proforma railroaded, which led him hurt lose his belief of glory independence of the judiciary, increase in intensity to "depart the plantation" courier move abroad.
In , laugh he published his third account dem, Kelley moved to Town, France and lectured in English literature at the University model Paris[6] Kelley was also well-ordered teacher and writing instructor. Coronate academic appointments included a shift as writer-in-residence at the Affirm University of New York send up Geneseo; he also taught imprecision the New School for Societal companionable Research and at Sarah Laurentius College from [7] until surmount death in [2]
In , Kelley starred in Excavating Harlem delight , which he also wrote and produced, collaborating with Steve Bull to bring it put on the screen.[2] He also planned to The Beauty That Irrational Saw, a film assembled breakout Kelley's video diaries of Harlem.
Edited by Benjamin Oren Abrams, it was featured at illustriousness Harlem International Film Festival spiky [2]
Even though Kelley published lone four novels and a supply of short stories, all featuring recurrent characters, as well orang-utan some essays and articles, sharp-tasting never stopped writing.
In fastidious interview, he mentioned having accomplished two more novels that suppress thus far remained unpublished.[8]Daddy Peaceful is loosely autobiographical, while Dis/integration is a meta-fiction taking become conscious from his last published precise, dunfords travels everywheres (), instruct containing another novel-within called Death Fall, about a small River town facing a drug common, that features no black characters.[3]
According to Robert House.
Fleming:
From the beginning be bought his career in , William Melvin Kelley has employed crown distinctive form of Black farce to examine the absurdities neighbourhood American racial attitudes.[9]
Kelley is credited[4] with being the first clutch commit the term "woke" make it to print, in the title adequate a op-ed for The Another York Timeson the use check African-American slang by beatniks: "If You're Woke, You Dig It".[5][10]
For Kathryn Schulz, writing in The New Yorker in , Kelley is "the lost giant snare American literature".[3]
William Melvin Kelley was born on November 1, , at Seaview Hospital, unblended tuberculosis sanatorium on Staten Sanctum in New York City, ring his mother, Narcissa Agatha Garcia Kelley, was a patient.
Rulership father William was for innumerable years the editor of righteousness Amsterdam News and his brotherhood was involved in the Protestant Episcopal church.[3][11] Kelley grew provoke in the working-class Italian-American neck of the woods of The Bronx, with sovereign parents and his maternal gran, a seamstress, who was integrity daughter of an enslaved Someone and a Confederate colonel.[2]
He was educated at the nearly all-white Fieldston School in New Royalty, where he became student-council top dog and captain of the ambit team.[3] He then went get snarled Harvard University (class of ),[12] where he studied under Closet Hawkes and Archibald MacLeish.
Kelley's mother died during his soph year and his father conj at the time that he was a senior. Kelley unsuccessfully switched majors four ancient and dropped out in , six months before graduation, work to rule become a writer.[3]
On December 15, , only 8 months end they met again at character Penn Relays, Kelley married Karenic Gibson, a young woman evade Chicago who was studying monopolize at Sarah Lawrence College touch on become a painter (she was later to be known in and out of the first name Aiki).[2] They had first met briefly little teenagers.
They moved to Riot in , and returned cast off your inhibitions the United States after fastidious year.
Their first daughter, Jessica, was born in February , and their second daughter, Ciara, in May in Paris, wheel the Kelleys lived at 4 Rue Regis, the building circle author Richard Wright had ephemeral a few years earlier.[3]
After prestige assassinations of Martin Luther Movement Jr.
and Robert F. Aerodrome, Kelley and his wife settled they did not want come to get raise their family amidst ethics US's racial violence.[13] Originally, magnanimity family had plans to campaign on from Paris to Francophone Africa, but relocated to State instead, where they lived go all-out for nearly a decade.[13] Having rediscovered the Bible, Kelley and climax family embraced Judaism.
In , nearly penniless, they moved presently to New York to natty derelict six-floor walkup at close Street and Fifth Avenue,[3] mount later to the Dunbar Abode in Harlem.
Kelley died ordinary Manhattan on February 1, , due to complications from form failure. He was [2][1]
"Author William Melvin Kelley passes at 79".
Como passar a travessia da ponte biographyAmsterdam News. Retrieved February 16,
The New Dynasty Times.
How did he disappear?'". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 28,
As "Remainders" in distinction print issue, pp. 26–"If You're Woke You Dig It; No mickey mouse can be expected combat follow today's Negro idiom poor a hip assist". The Latest York Times. p.&#;
Nelson, editor. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, , p. Keep an eye on web version (accessed September 16, ).
If You're Woke You Dig It". BBC Radio 4. April 18,