Peter De Vries

For other people named Peter de Vries, seePeter de Vries (disambiguation).

Peter De Vries
Born	Peter De Vries February 27, 1910 Chicago, Illinois,US
Died	September 28, 1993(1993-09-28)(aged 83) Norwalk, Connecticut,US
Occupation	Novelist satirist magazine editor
Notable works	The Tunnel of Love(1954) The Blood of the Lamb(1961)
Notable awards	American Academy of Arts and Letters(1983)
Spouse	Katinka Loeser ​ (died 1991)​
Children	4

Peter De Vries(February 27, 1910 – September 28, 1993) was an Americaneditorandnovelistknown for his satiric wit.

Biography

De Vries was born inChicago,Illinois,in 1910.He was educated in DutchChristian Reformed Churchschools, graduating fromCalvin CollegeinGrand Rapids, Michigan,in 1931. He also studied atNorthwestern University.He supported himself with a number of different jobs, including those ofvending machineoperator, toffee-apple salesman, radio actor in the 1930s, and editor forPoetrymagazine from 1938 to 1944.

He joined the staff ofThe New Yorkermagazine at the insistence ofJames Thurberand worked there from 1944 to 1987, writing stories and touching up cartoon captions. A prolific writer, De Vries wrote short stories, reviews, poetry, essays, a play, novellas, and twenty-five novels. Films made from De Vries's novels includeThe Tunnel of Love(1958), which also was a successfulBroadway play;How Do I Love Thee?(1970, based onLet Me Count the Ways);Pete 'n' Tillie(1972, based onWitch’s Milk); andReuben, Reuben(1983), which also inspired a Broadway play,Spofford.Earlier, in 1952, De Vries also contributed to the writing of the Broadway revueNew Faces of 1952.Although he enjoyed success for five decades, all his novels were out of print by the time of his death.

James Brattdescribes De Vries as "a secularJeremiah,a renegadeCRCmissionary to the smart set. "

Personal life

Peter De Vries met his future wife, poet and author Katinka Loeser, in 1943 when she won an award fromPoetrymagazine. The couple moved toWestport, Connecticut,in 1948. They were the parents of four children: sons Derek and Jon, daughters Jan and Emily. Emily died in 1960 at age ten after a two-year fight with leukemia.This experience provided the inspiration for his 1961 work,The Blood of the Lamb.His sonJonis an actor who has appeared in movies such asAmerican Gangster;Sarah, Plain and Tall;andSkylark;as well as episodic television in shows likeBlue Bloods,Boardwalk Empire,andStar Trek: The Next Generation.His daughter Jan, an author, editor and psychic counselor whose interests and activities ranged from homeopathic medicine to shamanism, the occult and Native American lore, died in 1997 at age 52, of cancer.

Katinka De Vries died in 1991.Peter De Vries died at age 83 on September 28, 1993, in aNorwalk, Connecticut,hospital.He, his wife, and daughter are buried inWillowbrook Cemetery,Westport, Conn.

Honors

De Vries received an honorary degree in 1979 fromSusquehanna University.He was elected to theAmerican Academy of Arts and Lettersin May 1983.

Works

• But Who Wakes the Bugler?(1940)
• The Handsome Heart(1943)
• Angels Can't Do Better(1944)
• No But I Saw the Movie(1952)
• The Tunnel of Love(1954)
• Comfort Me with Apples(1956)
• The Mackerel Plaza(1958)
• The Tents of Wickedness(1959)
• Through the Fields of Clover(1961)
• The Blood of the Lamb(1961)
• Reuben, Reuben(1964)
• Let Me Count the Ways(1965)
• The Vale of Laughter(1967)
• The Cat's Pajamas & Witch's Milk(1968)
• Mrs. Wallop(1970)
• Into Your Tent I'll Creep(1971)
• Without a Stitch in Time(1972)
• Forever Panting(1973)
• The Glory of the Hummingbird(1974)
• I Hear America Swinging(1976)
• Madder Music(1977)
• Consenting Adults; or, The Duchess Will Be Furious(1980)
• Sauce for the Goose(1981)
• Slouching Towards Kalamazoo(1983)
• The Prick of Noon(1985)
• Peckham's Marbles(1986)

Short stories and humorous pieces

• De Vries, Peter (1 January 1949). "Open House".The New Yorker.Vol. 24, no. 45. pp. 40–43.Short story.
• De Vries, Peter (4 February 1950). "Jam Today".The New Yorker.Vol. 25, no. 50. pp. 34–35.Humorous piece about jazz snobs.
• De Vries, Peter (8 April 1950). "Intruder In The Dusk".The New Yorker.Vol. 25, no. 66. pp. 37–38.Short story in the style of William Faulkner.

External links

• Peter De VriesatIMDb
• "The Return of Peter De Vries"from Westport magazine