Joseph Hergesheimer - Works

Writer, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He studied at the Pennnsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. After a trip to Italy, he settled in West Chester, PA and wrote a series of novels, notably Java Head (1919). He continued to write, but his mannered prose was not well received.

Joseph Hergesheimer (February 15, 1880 – April 25, 1954) was a prominent American writer of the early 20th century known for his naturalistic novels of decadent life amongst the very wealthy.

Hergesheimer was born in Philadelphia and initially studied as a painter but quickly turned to writing. Hergesheimer also received critical recognition for his novels Java Head (1919), Linda Condon (1919), and Balisand (1924).

Hergesheimer's reputation fluctuated wildly in his own lifetime, from a peak of acclaim and popularity in the 1920s to almost total obscurity by the time of his death. Java Head, a miscegenation story told from multiple viewpoints that is generally considered his best novel, was a considerable popular success, and his flamboyant, ornate, highly descriptive style (which can be seen to best effect in works like the travelogue San Cristobal de la Habana) was considered elegant and powerful. Hergesheimer's manner of writing, known at the time as the "aesthetic" school, remained in demand throughout the 1920s (with F. A 1922 poll of critics in Literary Digest voted Hergesheimer the "most important American writer" working at the time. Hergesheimer's works of long-form and short fiction sold well with both male and female readerships; a 1929 teaser in for an upcoming serialized story in Cosmopolitan, for example, called Hergesheimer a writer "who understands women better than any writer alive today." Hergesheimer's gift for flowery writing did not translate well in this new environment, and by the middle of the decade his popularity had fizzled. Mencken's diary describes Hergesheimer's frustration at the decline of his popularity and the disinterest of his publishers, and according to one literary legend, when Hergesheimer asked why nobody was interested in his books anymore, Mencken replied, "I don't know, Joe.

Hergesheimer's reputation has not recovered from this low point, although he still has some champions. Eight films and one television special were adapted from Hergesheimer's work.

Hergesheimer died in Sea Isle City, New Jersey.

Works

Novels:

The Lay Anthony. New York: Mitchell Kennerley, 1914. New York: Knopf, 1917. New York: Knopf, 1919. New York: Knopf, 1919. New York: Knopf, 1922. New York: Knopf, 1924. New York: Knopf, 1926. New York: Knopf, 1934. New York: Knopf, 1918. New York: Knopf, 1919. New York: Knopf, 1928. New York: Knopf, 1933.