Tom Lea
Tom Lea was a multifaceted artist and writer, born in El Paso, Texas, in 1907. His artistic journey began with training at the Art Institute of Chicago and an apprenticeship under muralist John Norton, which included a period in Italy studying Renaissance murals. During World War II, Lea served as a correspondent for Life magazine in the Pacific, capturing the harrowing experiences of soldiers through his writings. After the war, he transitioned to fiction, gaining acclaim for his novel "The Brave Bulls," which explores the world of bullfighting in Mexico and remains a classic in Southwestern literature. This novel was later adapted into a film featuring Mel Ferrer and Anthony Quinn. Lea's subsequent work, "The Wonderful Country," also achieved significant success, selling over a million copies and inspiring a film adaptation in 1959. His contributions to literature earned him prestigious awards, including those from the Texas Institute of Letters. In addition to his writing, Lea is known for his murals that celebrate Southwestern culture, with works displayed in notable locations including the Smithsonian Institution.
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Tom Lea
Writer
- Born: July 11, 1907
- Birthplace: El Paso, Texas
- Died: January 29, 2001
- Place of death: El Paso, Texas
Biography
Tom Lea was born in El Paso, Texas, in 1907 and grew up in the Lone Star State. As a child he demonstrated a natural affinity for painting and trained at the Art Institute of Chicago between 1924 and1926. After this, he worked as an apprentice to the famous Chicago muralist John Norton between 1927 and 1932. He spent some of this time in Italy, where he studied Renaissance murals. Lea served in the Pacific during World War II as a correspondent for Life magazine, traveling thousands of miles in an effort to portray the horrendous experiences of American soldiers during war. The artist and writer died in El Paso in January, 2001.
Lea began his writing career with nonfiction accounts of his World War II experiences in the Pacific: A Grizzly from the Coral Sea and Peleliu Landing. After the war, Lea began to write fiction. His first novel, The Brave Bulls, was illustrated by Lea himself and written in an intensely visual and precise manner. It met with high acclaim and spent several weeks on The New York Times best-seller list.
The book remains today a classic in Southwestern literature. Taking Mexico as its setting, it brings bullfighting to life as an art form and also as a lucrative business. The protagonist, bullfighter Luis Bello, makes his way though this dangerous maze in his effort to reach the top of his chosen profession. Mel Ferrer and Anthony Quinn starred in the popular 1951 film version of The Brave Bulls. In 1952 Lea published The Wonderful Country, which, like its predecessor, met with high acclaim. It sold more than one million copies, and it too appeared in a film version in 1959.
Numbered among Lea’s awards for writing is the Carr P. Collins Award of the Texas Institute of Letters for best book by a Texan for The Brave Bulls and the Texas Institute’s Jesse Jones Award for the best work of fiction by a Texan for the 1964 The Hands of Cantú.
Tom Lea is recognized both for his books depicting Mexico and the American Southwest and his paintings, in particular murals depicting Southwestern scenes that adorn large commercial spaces in El Paso and Dallas, Texas, and at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.