Edison Marshall
Edison Marshall was an American author born on August 29, 1894, in Rensselaer, Indiana. He began his writing career while studying at the University of Oregon, publishing his first story at just 19. After serving as a public relations officer in the Army during World War I, he settled in Augusta, Georgia, where he would spend the rest of his life. Marshall gained fame in the 1920s for his adventure stories, contributing to popular magazines and publishing several short story collections. His transition to historical romance in the 1940s, particularly with the novel "Benjamin Blake," marked a significant turn in his career, leading to successful film adaptations of his works. Throughout his life, he produced numerous novels, including "Yankee Pasha" and "The Viking," which also found success in film. Despite a decline in popularity in the 1960s, Marshall's work remains a reflection of American literary tastes in adventure and historical fiction over nearly four decades. He passed away on October 29, 1967, in Augusta.
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Edison Marshall
Writer
- Born: August 29, 1894
- Birthplace: Rensselaer, Indiana
- Died: October 29, 1967
Biography
Edison Tesla Marshall was born in Rensselaer, Indiana, on August 29, 1894. His father was a newspaper publisher. Marshall became interested in writing very early in his life. While attending the University of Oregon, he began his professional career as a writer. He was still in his freshman year when he published his first story, “When the Fire Dies,” in the May 1915 issue of The Argosy.
Upon graduation, Marshall joined the army and served as public relations officer at Camp Hancock in Augusta, Georgia. After his period of military service, he married and settled in Augusta, which would be his home for the rest of his life. In 1919, he published an adventure-horror story entitled “The Flying Lion” in The Blue Book Magazine.
In the 1920’s, Marshall enjoyed considerable success with his adventure stories and became one of the most popular short- story writers in the United States. His stories appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, Good Housekeeping, and Reader’s Digest. Collections of his stories appeared in book form. One of his stories was included in an anthology of the best stories of 1920, edited by O. Henry (William Sydney Porter). During the 1920’s and 1930’s, Marshall wrote adventure novels, including Isle of Retribution (1923), The Far Call (1928), Ogden’s Strange Story (1934), and Dian of the Lost Land (1935).
In 1941, Marshall published Benjamin Blake, a historical romance that took place in eighteenth century England. This change of genre brought him even greater success than his adventure novels. The story chronicles the stealing of a birthright and the hero’s efforts to reclaim it. The narrative is told with accurate detail and portrays lusty characters. The book was so successful that Twentieth Century Fox quickly bought the screen rights and adapted the novel into the very successful film Son of Fury (1942). Through the early 1960’s, Marshall continued to write historical romances which consistently appeared on the major best-seller book lists. Two more of his novels, Yankee Pasha: The Adventures of Jason Starbuck (1950) and The Viking (1951), were adapted for film and were very successful both as novels and as movies. In 1959 he published The Pagan King, a historical novel depicting the life of Arthur and his rise to king.
Sometime in the 1960’s, Marshall’s popularity as an author declined due to a change in the reading public’s taste. He died in Augusta, Georgia, on October 29, 1967. His works exemplify American taste in adventure and historical fiction for almost forty years.