William March (born William Edward Campbell (September 18, 1893 – May 15, 1954) was an American author and a highly decorated US Marine, called "the unrecognized genius of our time." His novels intertwine his own personal torment with the conflicts spawned by unresolved class, family, sexual, and racial matters. His innovative writing style—already evident in his first novel, Company K—is characterized by a deep compassion and understanding of su...
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William March (born William Edward Campbell (September 18, 1893 – May 15, 1954) was an American author and a highly decorated US Marine, called "the unrecognized genius of our time." His novels intertwine his own personal torment with the conflicts spawned by unresolved class, family, sexual, and racial matters. His innovative writing style—already evident in his first novel, Company K—is characterized by a deep compassion and understanding of suffering. March often presents characters who, through no fault of their own, are victims of chance, and writes that freedom can only be obtained by being true to one's nature and humanity.
William March was born the eldest son of a poor, itinerant family in and around Mobile, Alabama. His father worked in the lumber industry, which at the time was booming in South Alabama, and was an occasional heavy drinker who had a fondness for reciting poetry (especially Edgar Allan Poe's) at the dinner table. His mother (whose maiden name was Susan March)...
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