Carl Ruthven Offord
Carl Ruthven Offord was a Trinidadian-American writer and journalist, born on April 10, 1910, in Trinidad. After experiencing a tumultuous childhood marked by the death of his mother and a lack of educational support, he left school at fifteen to pursue a career in writing. Offord relocated to New York City at nineteen, where he studied writing, drama, and painting at the New School for Social Research, and briefly acted in local theater before leaving due to dissatisfaction with the roles he was offered. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and began his writing career by contributing to African American publications. Offord is best known for his debut novel, *The White Face*, published in 1943, which critically examines racial dynamics in America through the story of an African American couple navigating life in Harlem. He founded the weekly newspaper *Black American* in 1961 and contributed to several anthologies. His second novel, *The Naked Fear*, was less well-received. Additionally, Offord played a role in organizing the first Black American Film Festival in 1977. He passed away on December 21, 1990, in New York City.
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Subject Terms
Carl Ruthven Offord
- Born: April 10, 1910
- Birthplace: Trinidad, West Indies
- Died: December 21, 1990
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
Carl Ruthven Offord was born on April 10 1910, in Trinidad, West Indies. His father, George Offord, was a machinist from a long line of engineers, and his mother, Ottie Simmonds Offord, was a socialite who provided an upper-middle-class home filled with culture for her five children. Offord’s mother died when he was a child, and the children were divided among relatives after their father immigrated to the United States. Offord was sent to live with his paternal grandmother, who was strict, did not stress education, and did not like Offord’s late mother. As a result, Offord, who decided to become a writer at age eleven, left school at age fifteen, without any adult objection.
Offord began working a series of odd jobs to support himself. An avid reader, he continued his self-education by constantly reading anything he could find. At age nineteen, he left Trinidad and relocated to the United States, where he settled in New York City. Once in New York, he began studying writing, drama, and painting at the New School for Social Research. Offord also began acting in local theater groups, but he often found the roles he was asked to perform to be demeaning and ultimately left the theater.
In 1943, Offord enlisted in the United States army and served in Europe until 1945. Before World War II, he regularly wrote for Crusader News, a news digest for African Americans. When he returned to New York after the war, he began selling short stories and articles to magazines and journals, including Story, Masses, and Mainstream. In 1961, he founded the weekly newspaper, Black American.
Offord’s first novel, The White Face, was published in 1943 and was extremely well received and praised for its ability to examine racial psychology within one community in particular and within the United States in general. The novel focuses on Chris and Nella Woods, an African American couple who flee their home in Georgia after Chris attacks his cruel white boss. The couple find themselves in Harlem, where racist agitators exploit African American communities and create a hatred of Jews. Nella ignores the hate speech and begins working for a Jewish family, while Chris becomes enthralled by the speech and ultimately is moved to beat the son of Nella’s employer. While Chris is in jail, Nella finds him legal representation, but there is little that can be done to alter the tragic outcome of Chris’s story.
Offord’s second novel, The Naked Fear, was overlooked by critics. The novel is the story of a psychotic and destructive white couple who kidnap, harbor, and ultimately attempt to murder a baby.
In addition to novels, Offord contributed to two anthologies, Cross Section: A Collection of New American Writing (1944) and Black Hands on a White Face: A Timepiece of Experiences in Black and White America (1971). Offord also helped organize and supervised the first Black American Film Festival in 1977. He died on December 21, 1990, in New York City.