Author. He gained recognition as an American author who mainly wrote poetry and dramas at the turn of the 20th century. He was the son of Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, a neurologist and author, and grandson of Dr. John Kearsley Mitchell. He attended Harvard Law School and also studied in Europe. He became a professor of playwriting in the English department at the University of Pennsylvania from 1928 to 1930. He was a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters, and wrote plays under his own name and poetry under the pen name John Philip Varley. His collections of poetry include "Sylvian And Other Poems" in 1884, "Poems" in 1894, "Love In The Backwoods" in 1896, and "Understanding America" in 1927. Mitchell is best remembered as a serious dramatist of the turn of the 20th century. His 1907 play "The New York Idea" is his most famous work and the only one that continued to be produced after his lifetime. Other plays he wrote include: "In the Season: in 1893; "Becky Sharp" 1899," which was a dramatization of Thackeray's Vanity Fair; "The Kreutzer Sonata" in 1907; and "The New Marriage" in 1911. His wife was actress Marion Lea. His manuscripts are archived at the New York Public Library. Many of his plays and collections of poetry can be found digitized online.
Author. He gained recognition as an American author who mainly wrote poetry and dramas at the turn of the 20th century. He was the son of Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, a neurologist and author, and grandson of Dr. John Kearsley Mitchell. He attended Harvard Law School and also studied in Europe. He became a professor of playwriting in the English department at the University of Pennsylvania from 1928 to 1930. He was a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters, and wrote plays under his own name and poetry under the pen name John Philip Varley. His collections of poetry include "Sylvian And Other Poems" in 1884, "Poems" in 1894, "Love In The Backwoods" in 1896, and "Understanding America" in 1927. Mitchell is best remembered as a serious dramatist of the turn of the 20th century. His 1907 play "The New York Idea" is his most famous work and the only one that continued to be produced after his lifetime. Other plays he wrote include: "In the Season: in 1893; "Becky Sharp" 1899," which was a dramatization of Thackeray's Vanity Fair; "The Kreutzer Sonata" in 1907; and "The New Marriage" in 1911. His wife was actress Marion Lea. His manuscripts are archived at the New York Public Library. Many of his plays and collections of poetry can be found digitized online.
Bio by: Linda Davis
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Mitchell memorials in:
Advertisement
