Don Marquis American humorist, journalist and writer Date of Birth: 29.07.1878 Country: USA

1. Biography of Don Marquis
2. Early Life and Education
3. Journalistic Career
4. Personal Life and Death
5. Archy and Mehitabel
6. Literary Works and Film Adaptations

Biography of Don Marquis

Don Marquis was an American humorist, journalist, and writer who was born on July 29, 1878, in Walnut, Illinois. He was known for his plays, novels, poetry, and newspaper columns. However, he is primarily remembered today as the creator of the comedic duo Archy, a cockroach, and Mehitabel, a cat, who were the "authors" of humorous verses.

Early Life and Education

Don Marquis grew up in Walnut, Illinois. His older brother, David, passed away in 1892 at the age of 20, and his father died in 1897. Marquis completed his local school education in 1894 and then enrolled in Knox Academy, a preparatory program for Knox College, in 1896.

Journalistic Career

From 1902 to 1907, Marquis worked in the editorial staff of the "Atlanta Journal," a leading daily newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia. During his time there, he wrote numerous groundbreaking articles during the intense electoral campaigns of his publisher, Hoke Smith, and future Pulitzer Prize winner, Clark Howell. Smith emerged victorious in the elections. In 1912, Marquis began working for "The Evening Sun" and wrote a daily column called "The Sun Dial" for the next 11 years. He later joined the "New York Tribune" (which was renamed "New York Herald Tribune" in 1924) and gained significant success with his daily column "The Tower" (later renamed "The Lantern"). Marquis also contributed columns and short stories to various magazines, including "Saturday Evening Post," "Collier's Weekly," "American magazine," and sporadically appeared in "Harper's," "Scribners," "Golden Book," and "Cosmopolitan."

Personal Life and Death

In 1909, Marquis married Reina Melcher, with whom he had two children, Robert (1915-1921) and Barbara (1918-1931), both of whom died in infancy. Reina passed away on December 2, 1923. Three years later, Marquis married actress Marjorie Potts Vonnegut. She died in her sleep on October 25, 1936. Marquis, partially disabled due to three previous strokes, passed away from a stroke on December 29, 1937, in New York City. The United States Navy named a ship, the 'USS Don Marquis (IX-215),' formerly the 'Liberty,' in his honor on August 23, 1943.

Archy and Mehitabel

Don Marquis' most famous creation is the fictional character Archy, a cockroach who was a poet in his previous life. Archy was said to reside in the newspaper office and would type his poems on Marquis' typewriter by jumping on the keys. Since he could only type in lowercase and had no access to punctuation marks, Archy's poems were a form of social satire. These poems were published as a newspaper column called "archy and mehitabel," with Mehitabel, a homeless cat, as Archy's best friend. Marquis also created other popular characters, including the cheerful bulldog Pete, the ghost Clarence, and the incredibly selfish frog Warty Bliggins.

Literary Works and Film Adaptations

Don Marquis wrote approximately 35 books and co-wrote screenplays for films such as "The Sports Pages," "Shinbone Alley," "The Good Old Soak," and "Skippy" (1931). The 1926 film "The Cruise of the Jasper B" was based on his novel of the same name, published in 1916. However, the plot of the book and the film had little in common.