James Agee

James Agee

James Agee (James Rufus Agee) was born on November 27th, 1909. James passed away May 16th, 1955 at 45 years old. James Agee was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Agee attended Harvard University where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree.

James Agee was primarily known as a screenwriter and film critic and for his work on The African Queen where he wrote the screenplay.

He was the son of Laura Whitman Tyler and Hugh James Agee. Agee lost his father when he was six and the tragic accident left a permanent impression on the young Agee. He was then sent to boarding school where he was brought up by Father James Harold Flye, who became something of a father to him.

Right from the time he was in boarding school, he wanted to be a great writer and this was evident in his letters to Flye. In college, he published many of his stories and poems in The Harvard Advocate, which he edited. When he parodied Time magazine, he was offered a job at Fortune Magazine, whose editor loved his style.

It was while he was working for Fortune that James Agee published Permit Me Voyage, his first volume of poetry. It was also at this time that he began to feel that writing for the magazine was devoid of creativity, soulless, and impersonal, and began taking assignments working with poor farmers in the South.

After Agee left Fortune, he worked for Time Magazine and The Nation as a film critic. He also wrote screenplays for The Night of the Hunter and The African Queen.

While he attained much success in his writing endeavors, his personal life was not that successful and he never could sustain a marriage. Agee’s tendency to heavy smoking and drinking took a massive toll on him and he died of a heart attack in 1955.

James Agee’s most popular work is A Death in the Family, which was published two years following his death. It is a biographical novel that comes with a vivid description of grief and loss. It tells the story of Jay Follet who is going back home when he dies in a tragic car accident. This event not only takes his life but also robs his young family of domestic contentment and happiness.

The Morning Watch is a work that James Agee published in 1950. It tells the story of a preteen named Richard who goes to church in the early hours of Good Friday. During his prayers, his deepest feelings and thoughts are interrupted by childish and weak flesh imaginings.

James Agee: Lists & Other Mentions

• A Death in the Family has made several lists including:
  1. National Book Foundation: 100 Life-Changing Books Selection in 2006.
  2. Time Magazine: All-Time 100 Novels Selection in 2005.
  3. Oxford American: The Best Southern Novels of All Time Selection in 2009.
• Let Us Now Praise Famous Men was an Esquire: The 80 Books Every Man Should Read Selection in 2015 and an Oxford American: The Best Southern Nonfiction of All Time Selection in 2009.

Related Authors

Fans of James Agee also enjoy these authors:

1. Stephen King, author of The Dark Tower Series.
2. Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid's Tale Series.
3. Donna Tartt, author of: The Goldfinch.
4. Ernest Hemingway, author of: The Old Man and the Sea.
5. Barbara Kingsolver, author of: Demon Copperhead.

James Agee: F.A.Q