Max White Returns to Writing
In The Blazing Light, Max White's Third Novel
The movements of Max White immediately after his discharge from the U.S. Army late 1944 are not clear. He may have returned to New York City for a time, but an article published in November 1946 referenced Max setting up in New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana to write after his Army service.Max's third novel, In The Blazing Light, was published in New York City by Duell, Sloan & Pearce on 18 January 1946. This book was based on the life of the Spanish painter, Goya, as described in a Kirkus Review [NOTE: The year of publication given in the Kirkus Review appears to be incorrect from other sources]. Back in Auburn, The Citizen-Advertiser took note of the book's publication when the paper announced that well-known radio host, Mary Margaret McBride, would interview Max White on her New York City show several days later.
Max White, author of the recently published novel, "In the Blazing Light," which romanticizes the life of Goya, the great Spanish painter, will be interviewed by Mary Margaret McBride at 1 o'clock Monday afternoon over Station WEAF in New York. "In the Blazing Light" is the Auburn author's third novel. He is a son of Mr. and Mrs. William J. White of 139 East Genesee Street.-- Thomas Tryniski (scan), Roger Post (transcriber), Auburn Author In Radio Interview (Auburn, Cayuga Co., NY, The Citizen-Advertiser, Saturday, 19 January 1946), Old Fulton New York Post Cards http://www.fultonhistory.com
How I Feed My Friends, A Cookbook By Max White
Max White departed from his previous work with publication of How I Feed My Friends: One Hundred Sunday Night Dishes by Duell, Sloan & Pearce on 21 August 1946 in New York City. This book is described in a Kirkus Review. After the cookbook's publication, Max celebrated by hosting a Sunday night buffet of his own preparation, attended by literary notables such as Taylor Caldwell as well as by Clementine Paddleford, the noted Food Writer of the New York Herald Tribune. A pleasant gathering, one suspects, but possibly an astute publicity move as well! In Auburn, The Citizen-Advertiser published excerpts of Paddleford's Herald Tribune article.Max White, Auburn novelist, son of Mr. and Mrs. William J. White of 139 East Genesee Street, is saluted as "Sunday Night Host" by Clementine Paddleford in a feature article on food in the Sunday magazine section of the New York Herald Tribune of November 24. In an illustration topping the article Mr. White is shown passing a dish of own concoction to such celebrated fellow novelists as Fannie Hurst and Miss Taylor Caldwell, among others. The party that the food specialist at the Herald Tribune writes about--she was among the score and more guests--was held recently in New York in honor of the former Auburnian's newest, a gayly written cookbook called "How I Feed My Friends, or One Hundred Sunday Night Supper Dishes." It was a Sunday night buffet party, with Max White doing the hosting, and also the cooking. . . . Of her Sunday night host the Herald Tribune food expert says: "A dozen years ago Max took a studio in Woodstock, N. Y., to finish a novel. With no restaurants in the town, it was cook or starve. He began cooking. His friends liked his chow so he made it a practice to have Sunday night suppers and entertain in the kitchen. Delighted guests pestered him to write out the recipes. He decided to put the best of the lot in a book. War interrupted both cookbook and novel and he forgot the whole business. Out of the Army, he set up for writing again, this time in New Orleans. Between bouts with a novel he wrote his cookbook."-- Thomas Tryniski (scan), Roger Post (transcriber), Auburn Novelist Is Sunday Night Host and Cook for Some Literary Cronies (Auburn, Cayuga Co., NY, The Citizen-Advertiser, Tuesday, 26 November 1946), Old Fulton New York Post Cards http://www.fultonhistory.com
Max White Visits Auburn, New York for the Wedding of a Friend
The wedding of Mrs. Barbara Watson Chamberlain to Archibald W. Green on 10 June 1947 drew Max White back to Auburn to attend the social event. Barbara Watson Chamberlain was the widow of Rudolph Wilson Chamberlain, the newspaper editor who had hired Max, as Charles William White, back in late 1930 to be Associate Editor and Editorial Writer for The Auburn Advertiser-Journal. Rudolph Chamberlain had died in 1945. Max apparently remained close enough to the Chamberlain family over the years to be motivated to attend Barbara's remarriage after traveling from New Orleans. It is less likely, but possible, that Max was also acquainted with Lt. Col. Green from World War II service because both had served in North Africa.It seems safe to assume that Max enjoyed a visit with his parents while he was Auburn. His father, William J. White, would die 2 years later. It is possible that this trip was the last time that Max and his father saw each other, so far as newspaper accounts can tell us.
The Midnight Gardener, Max White's Fourth Novel
Published on 4 August 1948 by Harper & Brothers at New York City, The Midnight Gardener was Max White's fourth published novel. The Midnight Gardener, based on the life of the French poet, Baudelaire, has a Kirkus Review. The Citizen-Advertiser ran a story on Max's latest novel and again included quotes from a review by the New York Herald Tribune, this time by Ray Pierre.The preceding reference to Max White living in Paris and Rome before publication of The Midnight Gardener has not been verified with other references, unless it referred back to the period before the War.Max White's newest work is entitled "The Midnight Gardener." It is the story of Charles Baudelaire, nineteenth century French poet, depicting his turbulent life. It is described as a story of "genius and madness." Following are excerpts from a review by Ray Pierre in the book section of the New York Herald Tribune: "Max White's novels are no mere period pieces. . . . The hero of his latest book 'The Midnight Gardener,' is an even more tortured, complex genius, the poet, Charles Baudelaire. Mr. White delves beneath the outward symptoms of a disorganized life to reveal the emotional and artistic development of one of France's greatest poets. Mr. White's novel suffers from the very richness of his material. It is often repetitious, its dialogue is occasionally over-long and stilted, its descriptive passages fulsome. But despite these flaws it is noteworthy for it success in recreating Baudelaire as a living, suffering person.". . . Max White has been living in Paris and Rome recently and now is in New Orleans, with plans for another novel on the Harper fall list.-- Thomas Tryniski (scan), Roger Post (transcriber), Max White's Novel on Life of Baudelaire, French Poet, Appears (Auburn, Cayuga Co., NY, The Citizen-Advertiser, Thursday, 19 August 1948), Old Fulton New York Post Cards http://www.fultonhistory.com
The Man Who Carved Women From Wood, Max White's Fifth Novel
Harper & Brothers published Max's fifth novel, The Man Who Carved Women From Wood, on 14 September 1949 at New York City. A review of his latest work by Elise Beauchamp in the The Times-Picayune of that city was not favorable, not least because the reviewer believed that the book painted a false picture of New Orleans. In the words of Ms. Beauchamp, "It is shudder inspiring, to contemplate what the editors of Harper's must picture the city of New Orleans as being like." The reviewer also objected to "wooden" and unrealistic characters.On the other hand, W. G. Rogers, although not enamored with the novel, reviewed Max's book in a more balanced way in The Ithaca Journal. Rogers found that, "White, whose previous evocations of creative workers have been very worthwhile, may again be interpreting the artistic spirit. But I think he's just having fun; it's an exercise in fancy, he lets his imagination run, and gleefully lifts his hands from the wheel."
The Man Who Carved Women From Wood has a Kirkus Review, which describes the book's characters in some detail.
Max White's Later Years and Unpublished Works
Max White's Travels (1949-1953)
Publication of The Man Who Carved Women From Wood marked a turning point in Max White's career. Although he continued to write novels and plays, Max's later works remained unpublished and thus his movements and activities went largely unrecorded in the newspapers of the day. William J. White, Max's father, died at Auburn in August 1949, almost exactly 1 month before Max's fifth novel was published. Max was still living in New Orleans at that time. If Max traveled to Auburn for his father's funeral, it was not recorded in the Auburn newspaper.The timing of Max's removal from New Orleans is not known. However, Max spent time in Italy, France, and Spain in 1951. When he returned to New York City from Le Havre, France aboard the Aquitania in November of that year, his address was listed as 247 Waverly Place in Manhattan. Presumably, he had taken up residence in New York City before his trip to Europe.
The Citizen-Advertiser published an article in 1952 that mentioned Max White among prominent alumni of the Auburn newspaper and its predecessors. The article referenced Max's travels in Europe and stated that he was then (1952) living in Colorado. But, by the time of his mother's death in September 1953, Max was again living in New Orleans. An Auburn newspaper article in 1954 refers to Max being in Auburn in 1953, presumably during his mother's illness or to attend her funeral.
Tyrone Power Buys Screen Rights to Max White's In The Blazing Light
Film and stage star Tyrone Power announced in May 1954 that he planned to make and star in, as the Spanish painter Goya, a film based on Max White's book, In The Blazing Light. This story was picked up by The Citizen-Advertiser at Auburn.
Tyrone Power's plan to make the referenced movie does not seem to have been carried out in practice. He only lived another 4 years, during which time he starred in eight other movies. Copa Productions made only three movies, none of them In The Blazing Light.Tyrone Power, stage and film star, has announced, according to New York papers, that he is going to star in "In The Blazing Light," story of the life of Goya, Spanish painter, which he will produce independently in Spain next year. Based on the novel of the same name by Max White, Auburn author, the film will be produced by Mr. Power's Copa Productions. Mr. White left Auburn a year ago after having spent much time previously in Spain, France and Italy. He went from here to New Orleans, thence to California and at present is in New York City. . . . The New York Herald Tribune quotes Tyrone Power as saying: "I've always wanted to do Goya's life, because he was not only a great painter but also a great matador. The possibilities of excitement are tremendous. Also, we have the assurance of the Spanish government that we will have their co-operation in making the film.". . .-- Thomas Tryniski (scan), Roger Post (transcriber), Auburn Author's Book to Be Filmed (Auburn, Cayuga Co., NY, The Citizen-Advertiser, Wednesday, 26 May 1954), Old Fulton New York Post Cards http://www.fultonhistory.com
Max White's Hobbies
We know from the reviews of How I Feed My Friends that Max enjoyed cooking for, and entertaining, his friends. The critical review of The Man Who Carved Women From Wood by Elise Beauchamp in the The Times-Picayune contains the following passage: "White may be an excellent cook and an interesting companion and possessed of a wonderful collection of rugs, but he certainly is an uninspired novelist. . . ." Here we learn that Max was a collector of rugs.
Max White's Unpublished Manuscripts
Max White's papers were donated to the Princeton University Library by Princeton graduate Thomas Colchie in 2014. Colchie is a literary agent, editor, and translator. The papers consist of manuscripts comprising Max's unpublished works and his correspondence. As may be seen, Max's manuscripts include seven novels and five plays, plus a number of shorter works. He apparently continued to write in his later years. Had even a small number of these works been published, the name "Max White" may not have sunken into obscurity.Max White's Travels (1958-1978) and Death (1978)
Letters relating to a planned collaboration between Alice B. Toklas (Gertrude Stein's partner) and Max to write an actual autobiography of Alice (as opposed to the one Stein famously wrote) show that Max was living in Paris during the first half of 1958. Max cancelled a contract with the planned publisher of the Toklas book in June 1958 and returned to New York City. How long Max had been in Paris before 1958 is not certain. Max may have again returned to Paris after 1958. Don Skemer writes in the RBSC Manuscripts Division News that Max spent many of his later years in Paris. In the end, however, Max seems to have resided in Manhattan. Raymond Theodore White, Max's older brother, died at Auburn in 1975, at which time Max was listed as living in New York City. Max died on 31 January 1978 with his last residence listed as "New York, New York, New York," (i.e., Manhattan) in the Social Security Death Index.I have found neither an obituary for Charles William "Max" White nor a place of burial.
Resources For Locating Books By Charles William "Max" White
Cornell University Library
- Title: Anna Becker; Author: White, Charles William, 1906-; Language: English; Call number: PS3545.H667 A8; Location: Library Annex https://newcatalog.library.cornell.edu/catalog/2362804
- Title: Tiger tiger; Author: White, Charles William, 1906-; Language: English; Call number: PS3545.H667 T5; Location: Library Annexhttps://newcatalog.library.cornell.edu/catalog/2362808
- Title: In the blazing light; Author: White, Charles William, 1906-; Language: English; Call number: PS3545.H667 I3; Location: Library Annex https://newcatalog.library.cornell.edu/catalog/2362805
- Title: The midnight gardener; Author: White, Charles William, 1906-; Language: English; Call number: PS3545.H667 M6; Location: Olin Library https://newcatalog.library.cornell.edu/catalog/2362806
Seymour Library
The Seymour Library in Auburn had copies of some of Max White's books in the era in which they were published. It is possible that these copies still exist.
Booksellers
Max White's books are available on the used books market. AbeBooks has most of them, as does Amazon. E-bay and Etsy have some as well.
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