Anne Chamberlain
Biographical Information
Author, educator, and journalist Anne Chamberlain was born in Marietta, Ohio, in September 1917. Her father was a newspaperman. She attended both Marietta College and the University of Cincinnati, before marrying Clyde Edward Brown in October 1929. The couple had two children before divorcing in 1959.As a journalist, Anne Chamberlain worked as a reporter for the Parkersburg News (Parkersburg, WV) from 1944-45, and continued as a book reviewer for the paper until 1954. She also taught creative writing at both Marietta College in Ohio (1958-1970) and Parkersburg Community College in West Virginia (1969-1974). Chamberlain also served as Director of the Ohio Valley Writers Conference, 1955-56.
Anne Chamberlain published her first novel, The Tall Dark Man, in 1955. She followed that book with two more – The Soldier Room in 1956 and The Darkest Bough in 1958. In addition to her novel-length fiction, Chamberlain also contributed fiction, non-fiction, and poetry to numerous periodicals, including Family Circle, Saturday Evening Post, Woman’s Day, and the New York Times Book Review. She contributed to the 1978 edition the Writer’s Handbook (A. S. Burack, editor).
Critical Responses
Anne Chamberlain described her own work as “psychological fiction,” and remarked “suspense writing appeals to me because, well-presented, it is a strong story, which holds the reader’s interest, and through which can be woven the subtler arts of complex characterization, evocative atmosphere, and theme.” Chamberlain’s novels earned her respect and recognition—she was awarded a MacDowell Colony Fellowship in 1955 and received both the Ohioan Book award and a West Virginia Award in 1959 for The Darkest Bough.
Works Published
- The Tall Dark Man
- The Soldier Room
- The Darkest Bough
Selected Bibliography
The Darkest Bough (book review). Booklist December 1, 1958.The Darkest Bough (book review). Times Literary Supplement May 1, 1959.
The Soldier Room (book review). Booklist June 1, 1956.
The Soldier Room (book review). Library Journal April 15, 1956.
Tall Dark Man (book review). Booklist March 15, 1955.
Tall Dark Man (book review). New York Times April 3, 1955. pp. 33
Author Website
none available