Christopher Morley
Christopher Morley was an influential American writer, journalist, and literary figure born on May 5, 1890, in Haverford, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Haverford College and later became a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford. After settling in New York, he worked for the publisher Doubleday, Page, and Company, and married Helen Booth Fairchild, with whom he had four children. Morley published over fifty works, including fiction, poetry, and essays, with a keen focus on the significance of literature in everyday life. His notable works include the novel "Kitty Foyle," which tackled themes of love and social issues like abortion, and "Thunder on the Left," which reflects on childhood experiences. Morley also contributed to journalism as a columnist and co-founded the Saturday Review of Literature. He was deeply passionate about literary communities, founding the Baker Street Irregulars, a society for Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts. Despite a decline in his reputation after his death on March 28, 1957, Morley's contributions to literature and journalism remain significant.
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Subject Terms
Christopher Morley
Journalist
- Born: May 5, 1890
- Birthplace: Haverford, Pennsylvania
- Died: March 28, 1957
- Place of death: Roslyn Heights, New York
Biography
Christopher Darlington Morely was born May 5, 1890, in Haverford, Pennsylvania, the son of Frank Morley, a mathematician, and Lilian Bird Morley, a musician and poet, both English immigrants. After graduating from Haverford College in 1910, Morley was a Rhodes Scholar in modern history at the University of Oxford. He then settled in New York, working for the publisher Doubleday, Page, and Company. He married Helen Booth Fairchild on June 3, 1914, and the couple had four children.
Beginning in 1912, Morley published more than fifty books, including fiction, poetry, and essays. His first novel, Parnassus on Wheels, is the story of an itinerant New England bookseller, and many of Morley’s novels focus on the world of books, espousing his belief in the importance of literature to the lives of ordinary people. One of his most highly regarded novels, Thunder on the Left, looks at the pain of childhood.
Morley’s biggest success was Kitty Foyle. This best seller was controversial because of its treatment of abortion. The tale of a working-class Philadelphia woman’s love affair with a rich young man became a popular film in 1940 and was one of the first books to appear in paperback. Morley was a columnist for the New York Evening Post from 1920 to 1923 and for the Saturday Review of Literature, of which he was founder, from 1924 to 1941. He served on the board of the Book-of-the-Month Club and founded, with his brothers, the Baker Street Irregulars, a society of Sherlock Holmes fans.
Morley suffered a paralyzing stroke in 1951 and produced only a volume of poems during the period leading to his death on March 28, 1957. His reputation has declined since his death, with many of his novels dismissed as preachy or trivial. Collections of Morley’s papers are at the University of Texas, Haverford College, and the New York Public Library’s Berg Collection.