EW writers in this country have had such a
varied career or attained such pre-eminence in the literary world as
Hamlin Garland, who for over thirty years has held a foremost position
in the ranks of authorship and has been widely recognized as an exponent
of all that is best in American life. He is perhaps most widely known
through his epic of pioneer days, "A Son of the Middle
Border," and his book of short stories, "Main Traveled
Roads." His numerous works of fiction are also decidedly popular,
notably "The Eagle’s Heart," "Hesper," "Money
Magic," "Cavanagh," "Rose of Dutcher’s
Coolly," and "The Captain of the Gray Horse Troop." In
addition he has written what is admitted to be the best life of General
Grant. In March, 1918, in recognition of the splendid literary work
displayed in "A Son of the Middle Border," he was elected a
Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has just been
awarded the Pulitzer Prize for the best work of biography produced in
1921, the selection being his book, "A Daughter of the Middle
Border."
MR. GARLAND’S CAREER
Mr. Garland’s early years were spent in the middle west. He was
born in 1860 near the present site of West Salem, Wisconsin, and
afterwards lived in Iowa and Dakota, where amidst the incessant toil
incident to farming and pioneering he managed to acquire an education,
eventually graduating with honors from a western seminary. When
twenty-four years old he journeyed eastward with the idea of taking a
course of study and qualifying himself for teaching. Instead, he became
an instructor in the Boston School of Oratory, and developed remarkable
genius as a public speaker.
From 1885 to 1889 Mr. Garland appeared on the lecture platform in
Boston and other cities, and attracted large audiences by his talks on
Shakespeare, the drama, etc. While thus engaged he made the acquaintance
of Oliver Wendell Holmes, William Dean Howells, Edward Everett Hale and
other leaders in literature and art. Later on he numbered among his many
friends such celebrities as Walt Whitman, James Whitcomb Riley, Eugene
Field and Colonel Roosevelt.
SUCCESS AS AN AUTHOR
In 1891, as the result of revisiting the west, Mr. Garland wrote his
famous Mississippi Valley stories, "Main Traveled Roads,"
followed, in 1892, by his first long novel, "A Spoil of
Office." Between 1894 and 1898, he published a volume of essays
entitled, "Crumbling Idols," completed a novel, "Rose of
Dutcher’s Coolly," and also finished his life of General Grant.
He then went overland to the Yukon Valley, Alaska, a trip of six months,
which formed the basis of a volume called "The Long Trail." In
recent years, Mr. Garland has not only produced various books of high
merit, but has also been a prolific contributor to the leading
magazines.
WINS RECOGNITION IN ENGLAND
Although Mr. Garland’s literary work has always been conspicuous
for its undiluted Americanism and inspiring patriotism, it has won
unstinted praise from English critics. During his frequent visits to
England, where his books are widely read, Mr. Garland has formed many
literary acquaintances and has gathered a wealth of material concerning
the personal characteristics of eminent writers whose names are well
known on both sides of the Atlantic.
A BRILLIANT LECTURER
For over thirty-five years, Mr. Garland has been deservedly popular
as a lecturer, and today he has few equals on the platform. His style is
brilliant and forceful, and he is endowed with an unusual degree of
personal magnetism which invariably arouses and holds the attention of
his audiences. His long and varied career in the Eastern as well as in
the Western states, and his friendships with literary celebrities at
home and abroad, have supplied him with a large amount of data for his
lectures and enables him to fill them with live, human interest.
PLANS FOR THE SEASON
For his lecture tour of 1923-4, Mr. Garland has selected the
following among other subjects:
"Memories of the Middle Border"
In the course of this lecture, Mr. Garland will give a graphic
account of pioneer life in the middle west in the stirring days of the
‘sixties and ‘seventies of the last century. The lecture will be
largely based upon his most successful book, "A Son of the Middle
Border," and will be a humorous, off-hand address on the songs
and seasons of the old-time prairie farm, describing the joys,
sorrows, work, worry and holiday recreations of the farmer’s life.
"Meetings with Famous American Authors"
In this lecture, Mr. Garland will relate intimate stories of
celebrities he has known, including the following: "My first call
on William Dean Howells. A chat with Walt Whitman. Advice from Oliver
Wendell Holmes. On the judge’s bench with Theodore Roosevelt. At the
ol’ swimmm’ hole with James Whitcomb Riley. My neighbor, Eugene
Field. Talks with Mark Twain. A visit to Edward Eggleston. Roast
woodchuck with John Burroughs."
"Personal Reminiscences Of Famous English Authors"
Mr. Garland, in this lecture, will give an entertaining account of
literary life in England, abounding in the highest personal interest,
with occasional humorous touches. The following are just a few of the
interesting stories that he will relate: "A dinner with Kipling.
Studying London with Zangwill. A lunch with Barrie. Seeing Old Rye
with Henry James. A meeting with Thomas Hardy. An interview with Bret
Harte. Henry M. Stanley as a dinner mate. Teaching Conan Doyle to
pitch a baseball. Barrie and Doyle at a cricket match. Impressions of
Bernard Shaw. A grand dinner at the Authors’ Society."
