The son of John McFee and Hilda Wallace McFee,[1] he was born (as was his sister) on the Erin's Isle,[2] a three-masted ship owned by his father, a sea captain, in London, England.[3] The McFee family lived in New Southgate, a northern suburb of London.[4] He was educated at Culford School, in Culford, England.[5]
As a youth, McFee worked in an engineering shop at Aldersgate, wrote a 40-page poem, and lectured on Rudyard Kipling.[4]
Sailingedit
McFee became a mechanical engineer at Richard Moreland & Sons and W. Summerscales & Sons in the City, before going to sea as a marine engineer in 1906. He rose to the rank of chief engineer in ships of the Woodfield SS Co. He migrated to the United States in 1911 and wrote books, afterwards going to sea in ships of the United Fruit Company. During World War I, McFee served in the Royal Navy as an engineer in various transport ships.
After the war, he returned to the United States to live in Roxbury, Connecticut. He was with the United Fruit Company, as a chief engineer[6] until 1924 when he turned definitively to writing.
Writingedit
In addition to books, he also wrote reviews for The New York Sun and The New York Times. One of his book reviews was for the novel Save Me the Waltz (1932) by Zelda Fitzgerald, in which he said, "In this book, with all its crudity of conception, its ruthless purloinings of technical tricks and its pathetic striving after philosophic profundity, there is the promise of a new and vigorous personality in fiction." Fitzgerald said that of all the negative reviews of her book, his "was at least intelligible."[7]
McFee's works included In the First Watch (1946), an autobiography, published by Random House of Canada.[8] He wrote several collections of memoirs. His hobby was making ship models.
Personal lifeedit
While in the navy, McFee met Pauline Khondoff, a Bulgarian refugee. The couple wed in 1920, but divorced in 1932.[9] He was married twice more, first to Beatrice Allender who died in 1952 and then to Dorothy North.
Sunlight in New Granada. Doubleday, Page & Co. 1925.
Swallowing the anchor: Being a revised and enlarged collection of notes made by an engineer in the merchant service who secured leave of absence from his ship to investigate & report upon the alleged superiority of life ashore. Doubleday, Page & Co. 1925.
Pilgrims of Adversity. Doubleday, Doran & Co. 1928.
Life of Sir Martin Frobisher. J. Lane, Bodley Head. 1928.
North of Suez. Doubleday, Doran & Co. 1930.
Sailors of Fortune. William Heinemann Ltd. 1930.
The Harbourmaster. Doubleday, Doran & Co. 1931.
No Castle in Spain. Doubleday, Doran & Co. 1933.
More Harbours of Memory. Doubleday, Doran & Co. 1934.
The Beachcomber. Doubleday, Doran & Co. 1935.
Sailor's Wisdom. J. Cape. 1935.
The Beachcomber. Doubleday, Doran & Co. 1935.
Sailor's Bane. Ritten House. 1936.
The Derelicts. Faber & Faber. 1938.
The Watch Below. Random House. 1940.
Spenlove in Arcady. Random House. 1940.
A Conrad Argosy. Doubleday, Doran & Co. 1942.
Ship to Shore. Random House. 1944.
In the First Watch. Random House. 1946.
Family Trouble. Random House. 1949.
The Law of the Sea. J.B. Lippincott Co. 1950.
The Adopted. Faber. 1952.
Referencesedit
^ abLeatherby, James Norman (Summer 1949). "William McFee: Writing Engineer". Prairie Schooner. 23 (2). University of Nebraska Press: 171–180. JSTOR 40624100.
^ abYoung, Villette (24 May 1953). "He's Landlocked by Choice in Connecticut". Hartford Courant. Connecticut, Hartford. p. The Hartford Courant Magazine - 7. Retrieved 6 May 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^McCulloch, John Herries (1933). A Million Miles in Sail. London: Hurst and Blackwell. p. 23.
^ abHubbard, Jonathan (9 September 1916). "England Discovers A Rare Genius In William McFee". The Evening Sun. Maryland, Baltimore. p. 4. Retrieved 6 May 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ab"William McFee, 85, Dies; Author, Seaman, Engineer". Hartford Courant. Connecticut, Hartford. 4 July 1966. p. 1. Retrieved 6 May 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^"William McFee Papers". Special Collections Research Center. Syracuse University. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
^Milford, Nancy (1970). Zelda: A Biography. New York: Harper & Row. p. 263. ISBN9780060910693.
^"Autoiography Of Sea Writer". The Winnipeg Tribune. Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba. 21 September 1946. p. 9. Retrieved 6 May 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^"William McFee Gets Divorce". The St. Louis Star and Times. Missouri, St. Louis. United Press. 20 February 1932. p. 5. Retrieved 6 May 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Sinclair Lewis Gets Honorary Yale Degree". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Missouri, St. Louis. Associated Press. 17 June 1936. p. 23. Retrieved 6 May 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
Everyman's Dictionary of Literary Biography, English and American (1958)
Love, Paul A. "William McFee." Dictionary of Literary Biography, Late-Victorian and Edwardian British Novelists. Vol. 15. The Gale Group, 1995. 195–203. Gale Literary Databases. 8 December 2008 <http://galenet.galegroup.com>.
"William M'Fee, Author, 85, Dies." New York Times 4 July 1966: 15.
Works by William McFee at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
"The Market"
William McFee papers at Charles E. Young Research Library, Los Angeles
William McFee Collection at Yale University Library
January 01, 1970
william, mcfee, william, morley, punshon, mcfee, june, 1881, july, 1966, english, writer, stories, both, parents, were, canadian, bornwilliam, morley, punshon, mcfee, 1881, june, 1881london, englanddied, 1966, july, 1966new, milford, connecticut, united, state. William Morley Punshon McFee 1 15 June 1881 2 July 1966 was an English writer of sea stories Both of his parents were Canadian 2 William McFeeBornWilliam Morley Punshon McFee 1881 06 15 15 June 1881London EnglandDied 1966 07 02 2 July 1966New Milford Connecticut United StatesOccupationWriterNationalityEnglishPeriod1908 1952GenreSea story Contents 1 Early years 2 Sailing 3 Writing 4 Personal life 5 Recognition 6 Works 7 References 8 External linksEarly years editThe son of John McFee and Hilda Wallace McFee 1 he was born as was his sister on the Erin s Isle 2 a three masted ship owned by his father a sea captain in London England 3 The McFee family lived in New Southgate a northern suburb of London 4 He was educated at Culford School in Culford England 5 As a youth McFee worked in an engineering shop at Aldersgate wrote a 40 page poem and lectured on Rudyard Kipling 4 Sailing editMcFee became a mechanical engineer at Richard Moreland amp Sons and W Summerscales amp Sons in the City before going to sea as a marine engineer in 1906 He rose to the rank of chief engineer in ships of the Woodfield SS Co He migrated to the United States in 1911 and wrote books afterwards going to sea in ships of the United Fruit Company During World War I McFee served in the Royal Navy as an engineer in various transport ships After the war he returned to the United States to live in Roxbury Connecticut He was with the United Fruit Company as a chief engineer 6 until 1924 when he turned definitively to writing Writing editIn addition to books he also wrote reviews for The New York Sun and The New York Times One of his book reviews was for the novel Save Me the Waltz 1932 by Zelda Fitzgerald in which he said In this book with all its crudity of conception its ruthless purloinings of technical tricks and its pathetic striving after philosophic profundity there is the promise of a new and vigorous personality in fiction Fitzgerald said that of all the negative reviews of her book his was at least intelligible 7 McFee s works included In the First Watch 1946 an autobiography published by Random House of Canada 8 He wrote several collections of memoirs His hobby was making ship models Personal life editWhile in the navy McFee met Pauline Khondoff a Bulgarian refugee The couple wed in 1920 but divorced in 1932 9 He was married twice more first to Beatrice Allender who died in 1952 and then to Dorothy North McFee became a United States citizen in 1925 5 Recognition editIn 1936 Yale University conferred an honorary Master of Arts degree on McFee 10 Works edit nbsp Great Sea Stories of Modern Times edited by William McFee Letters from an Ocean Tramp Cassell amp Company Inc 1908 Aliens Edward Arnold 1914 Casuals of the Sea Doubleday amp Company Inc 1916 Aliens Doubleday Page amp Co 1919 Captain Macedoine s Daughter Doubleday Page amp Co 1920 A Six Hour Shift Doubleday Page amp Co 1920 Harbours of Memory Doubleday Page amp Co 1922 Command Doubleday Page amp Co 1922 Race Doubleday Page amp Co 1924 Sunlight in New Granada Doubleday Page amp Co 1925 Swallowing the anchor Being a revised and enlarged collection of notes made by an engineer in the merchant service who secured leave of absence from his ship to investigate amp report upon the alleged superiority of life ashore Doubleday Page amp Co 1925 Pilgrims of Adversity Doubleday Doran amp Co 1928 Life of Sir Martin Frobisher J Lane Bodley Head 1928 North of Suez Doubleday Doran amp Co 1930 Sailors of Fortune William Heinemann Ltd 1930 The Harbourmaster Doubleday Doran amp Co 1931 No Castle in Spain Doubleday Doran amp Co 1933 More Harbours of Memory Doubleday Doran amp Co 1934 The Beachcomber Doubleday Doran amp Co 1935 Sailor s Wisdom J Cape 1935 The Beachcomber Doubleday Doran amp Co 1935 Sailor s Bane Ritten House 1936 The Derelicts Faber amp Faber 1938 The Watch Below Random House 1940 Spenlove in Arcady Random House 1940 A Conrad Argosy Doubleday Doran amp Co 1942 Ship to Shore Random House 1944 In the First Watch Random House 1946 Family Trouble Random House 1949 The Law of the Sea J B Lippincott Co 1950 The Adopted Faber 1952 References edit a b Leatherby James Norman Summer 1949 William McFee Writing Engineer Prairie Schooner 23 2 University of Nebraska Press 171 180 JSTOR 40624100 a b Young Villette 24 May 1953 He s Landlocked by Choice in Connecticut Hartford Courant Connecticut Hartford p The Hartford Courant Magazine 7 Retrieved 6 May 2018 via Newspapers com nbsp McCulloch John Herries 1933 A Million Miles in Sail London Hurst and Blackwell p 23 a b Hubbard Jonathan 9 September 1916 England Discovers A Rare Genius In William McFee The Evening Sun Maryland Baltimore p 4 Retrieved 6 May 2018 via Newspapers com nbsp a b William McFee 85 Dies Author Seaman Engineer Hartford Courant Connecticut Hartford 4 July 1966 p 1 Retrieved 6 May 2018 via Newspapers com nbsp William McFee Papers Special Collections Research Center Syracuse University Retrieved 10 April 2018 Milford Nancy 1970 Zelda A Biography New York Harper amp Row p 263 ISBN 9780060910693 Autoiography Of Sea Writer The Winnipeg Tribune Canada Winnipeg Manitoba 21 September 1946 p 9 Retrieved 6 May 2018 via Newspapers com nbsp William McFee Gets Divorce The St Louis Star and Times Missouri St Louis United Press 20 February 1932 p 5 Retrieved 6 May 2018 via Newspapers com nbsp Sinclair Lewis Gets Honorary Yale Degree St Louis Post Dispatch Missouri St Louis Associated Press 17 June 1936 p 23 Retrieved 6 May 2018 via Newspapers com nbsp Everyman s Dictionary of Literary Biography English and American 1958 Love Paul A William McFee Dictionary of Literary Biography Late Victorian and Edwardian British Novelists Vol 15 The Gale Group 1995 195 203 Gale Literary Databases 8 December 2008 lt http galenet galegroup com gt William M Fee Author 85 Dies New York Times 4 July 1966 15 Who Was Who 1897 2006 2007 External links edit nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to William McFee Works by William McFee at Project Gutenberg Works by or about William McFee at Internet Archive Works by William McFee at LibriVox public domain audiobooks nbsp The Market William McFee papers at Charles E Young Research Library Los Angeles William McFee Collection at Yale University Library Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title William McFee amp oldid 1176668994, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
