Harold Bell Wright
Harold Bell Wright was an influential American author and minister, born in 1872 in Rome, New York. He faced significant challenges in his early life, including the death of his mother and the abandonment by his father, which led to a nomadic childhood. Wright's experiences shaped his later work, particularly his writing, which often reflected his deep appreciation for rural American life and Christian values. He is best known for his novel "The Shepherd of the Hills," initially intended as a serial for his congregation, which explores themes of spiritual renewal amidst the encroachment of industrialization.
Wright wrote several bestselling novels, including "The Winning of Barbara Worth" and "The Calling of Dan Matthews," which collectively sold over ten million copies, making him a prominent figure in early 20th-century American literature. His narratives resonated with readers who were concerned about the changes brought by industrialization, offering a sentimental and romanticized view of rural life. Wright's work not only appealed to a broad audience but also translated into several films, further solidifying his legacy. He continued to write until his death in 1944, leaving behind a body of work that highlighted the values of faith, family, and the beauty of the American countryside.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Harold Bell Wright
Author
- Born: May 4, 1872
- Birthplace: Rome, New York
- Died: May 24, 1944
- Place of death: La Jolla, California
Biography
Harold Bell Wright was born in 1872 in Rome, New York, the second of four sons of William A. Wright and Alma T. Watson Wright. Wright’s father, who served as a lieutenant in the Civil War, was an itinerant carpenter and alcoholic. While the family led a somewhat nomadic existence, Wright’s mother tried to instill a strong sense of morality and an appreciation of literature in her sons. When Wright was eleven, his mother died of tuberculosis, and his father deserted the family. Wright was farmed out to various relatives for the rest of his childhood, and he then supported himself with various odd jobs as a farm hand, janitor, carpenter, and painter. He became a member of the Disciples of Christ Church and spent two years in the preparatory department of Hiram College, a school affiliated with the church.
Battling tuberculosis, he went to the Ozark Mountains in Missouri for his health, where he began his tenure as a minister of the Disciples of Christ Church, serving from 1897 to 1908. In 1899 he married Frances E. Long, with whom he had three sons. They later divorced, and he married Winifred Mary Potter Duncan in 1920. In 1907, when told his tuberculosis might be returning, Wright moved to Redlands, California, and a year later to El Centro in the Imperial Valley. Wright died of pneumonia in 1944, at the age of seventy-two, in La Jolla, California.
During his preaching career he wrote a novel, The Shepherd of the Hills, which he originally planned to read serially to his congregation. The loosely autobiographical novel chronicles the story of a disillusioned minister who travels to the Ozarks to find his soul. The minister finds spiritual renewal in the hills, while fearing that the purity of the countryside will soon be corrupted by advancing industrialization.
Due to the tremendous popularity of the book, Wright began to pursue a writing career full time and followed The Shepherd of the Hills with The Calling of Dan Matthews, which continued to emphasize the values of God, home, and family represented by the purity of rural America. The Winning of Barbara Worth, Wright’s most successful novel, is set in Colorado and deals with the issue of water reclamation.
Wright enjoyed tremendous popularity in the early years of the twentieth century, becoming one of the best-selling authors of the day. He was the most popular American writer between 1909 and 1921; his nineteen books sold more than ten million copies, making his name a household word. Several films were made from his novels, including The Shepherd of the Hills (in 1928 and 1941), The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926), and The Calling of Dan Matthews (1936). Although more of a preacher than a novelist, his books appealed to Americans who feared their way of life might soon be disappearing with the advent of industrialization. Although sentimental and romanticized, Wright’s books appealed to small-town and rural America, a segment of the population that did not normally buy books, as he reassured them of the value of their way of life.