Benét, Stephen Vincent (1889–1943), brother of W.R. Benét, was born in Pennsylvania, and graduated from Yale (1919). As an undergraduate he wrote two books of poetry,
Five Men and Pompey (1915), dramatic monologues, and
Young Adventure (1918); shortly after graduation he wrote his first novel,
The Beginning of Wisdom (1921), a college story in the vein of F. Scott Fitzgerald. The poems in
Heavens and Earth (1920),
King David (1923),
The Ballad of William Sycamore (1923), and
Tiger Joy (1925) show a growing maturity, and the
Ballad particularly indicates his interest in the American scene. He reached his full power with
John Brown's Body (1928, Pulitzer Prize), a long narrative poem of the Civil War. His
Ballads and Poems, 1915–30 were collected in 1931.
Nightmare at Noon (1940) is a poem warning the U.S. to meet the fascist challenge.
Western Star (1943, Pulitzer Prize), a section of a projected epic poem on the westward migration, depicts the settling of Jamestown and Plymouth.
America (1944) is a short U.S. history written for distribution abroad by the Office of War Information. In addition to such novels as
Young People's Pride (1922),
Jean Huguenot (1923), and
Spanish Bayonet (1926), he wrote librettos for two one‐act folk operas.
The Headless Horseman (1937) and
The Devil and Daniel Webster (1939), with music by Douglas Moore. Collections are
Tales Before Midnight (1939), stories;
Selected Works (1942); and
Selected Letters (1960).
