Robert Nathan
Robert Gruntal Nathan was an American author born on January 2, 1894, in New York City. He came from a notable family, with connections to the founding of Barnard College, and he received an education in both the United States and Switzerland. Nathan began his literary career at Harvard University, where he wrote short fiction and poetry before moving into advertising and publishing his first novel, "Peter Kindred," in 1919. His writing evolved over the years, leading to greater success with gentle fantasy novels starting with "Autumn" in 1921.
Nathan's most acclaimed work is "Portrait of Jennie" (1940), which tells the story of an artist and an enigmatic girl, eventually adapted into a film in 1948. His other notable works include "The Bishop's Wife" and "One More Spring," which were also turned into successful movies. Although his whimsical storytelling lost popularity in the 1940s, he continued to write for film and television until his later years. Nathan experienced a tumultuous personal life, marked by seven marriages, and passed away on May 25, 1985. His contributions to literature and cinema remain influential, particularly in the realms of fantasy and romantic storytelling.
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Robert Nathan
Writer
- Born: January 2, 1894
- Birthplace: New York, New York
- Died: May 25, 1985
- Place of death: Los Angeles, California
Biography
Robert Gruntal Nathan was born January 2, 1894, in New York City. Nathan was part of a prominent family; his uncle was the founder of Barnard College. He was educated both in the United States and Switzerland. He began writing short fiction and poetry during the years he spent at Harvard University, leaving school after getting married in his junior year. He worked in advertising for two years, until he published his first novel. Later work proved more successful for him, although he briefly taught journalism while he was writing in the 1920’s. His major successes began in the 1930’s, both in novels and poetry, which was when Hollywood became interested in his work.
Nathan’s first novel, the semibiographical Peter Kindred appeared in 1919. It was realistic fiction and did not become a critical success. The more than forty books he published during the rest of his career verged closer to gentle fantasies, starting with his second novel, Autumn (1921). These proved more successful.
Nathan’s best-known work was his novel Portrait of Jennie (1940), not only because of its own power but also because it was made into a movie in 1948. It deals with an artist who sketches an eight-year-old girl, then keeps meeting the girl over a period of months to find that she has aged years, to the point where the two become lovers. Producer David O. Selznick spent years and literally millions of dollars developing Portrait of Jennie as a vehicle for actress Jennifer Jones.
It was during this period that Nathan began writing screenplays for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, including The White Cliffs of Dover (1943) and The Clock (1945), directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Judy Garland and Robert Walker. Other novels by Nathan made into movies included The Bishop’s Wife (1928), One More Spring (1933), and The Enchanted Voyage (1936, filmed as Wake Up and Dream).
The first screen adaptation of Nathan’s The Bishop’s Wife starred Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven, and proved to be one of the top comedies of 1947. It remains a popular Christmas movie. It was adapted yet again as a movie in 1996, retitled The Preacher’s Wife, starring Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington.
Nathan’s variety of whimsical fantasy became less fashionable among movie-goers in the 1940’s. His last Hollywood vehicle was Pagan Love Song, a 1950 musical with Esther Williams and Howard Keel that he wrote in collaboration with Jerry Davis. Nathan also wrote for such television shows as The Alcoa Hour. He continued to produce novels into the 1970’s, but his popularity never again reached the peak it had achieved in the 1940’s.
Nathan was married seven times. The first five marriages ended in divorce. His sixth wife died. He was still married to his seventh wife, actress Anna Lee, when he died on May 25, 1985.