William Demby
Biography of William Demby
William Demby (December 25, 1922 – May 23, 2013) was an African-American novelist whose writing was shaped by his rich transatlantic career as an expatriate in Rome and a chronicler of race, identity, and memory.
After serving in World War II, he studied at Fisk University and then moved to Europe, where he translated scripts for renowned Italian filmmakers and wrote four novels—including Beetlecreek, The Catacombs, Love Story Black, and the rare Blue Boy. He later taught English at the College of Staten Island.
His final novel, King Comus, was published posthumously in 2017 and earned him renewed recognition. His lifetime of work was honored with the Anisfield-Wolf Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006 (Photo by Carl Van Vechten, Library of Congress).
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