LeGette Blythe
This Charlotte author finds time
every non and (Ihmi. elad in his
pajamas and working in his junk
room, to turn out enough copy
for a new hook.
By HOOVER ADAMS
EQETTE BLYTHE i* the pol-were
ishcd. smooth-mannered reporter
— and literary editor who pounds a
lavish with praise in their re-
typewriter for The Charlotte Observ¬
er and writes books in his pajamas dur¬
ing the time he has left.
lie’s known in the newsrooms, on
the streets of Charlotte and in his lit¬
tle home town of Huntersville near
Charlotte, ns "Squire Blythe,” a mod¬
est country gentleman.
But he’s better known throughout
the nation, in London and in Her*
many as the author of “Marshal Ne.v :
Л
Dual Life,’’ and his latest book.
"Alexandrian*,” is meeting success in
the bookstores of America.
"Squire" Blythe is the only one of
North Carolina’s four leading au¬
thors who has dealt chiefly with his¬
tory. and one of the few living Tar
I led authors whose works have been
published in foreign countries.
Incidentally, the Mecklenburg au¬
thor was a classmate of the State’s
threo other well-known writers. Paul
Green, Jonathan Daniels and the late
Tom Wolfe. They studied English to¬
gether under the late Dr. Edwin
Greenlaw, famous University of North
Carolina professor, who would prob¬
ably be quite proud if he knew the
success his four-star pupils have
achieved.
Mr. Blythe turned out his first
novel on Key, which deals with the
life in Europe and America of Na¬
poleon’s chief marshal four years ago
and its success in the literary world
was spontaneous and later the same
material was used in a movie.
Inspired by this success, Mr. Blythe
then wrote "Alexandriana,” a history
which deals with the Revolutionary
War in the South, with Mecklenburg
County ns the immediate locale and
practically every section of the State
where the war took place is repre¬
sented.
It is the only comprehensive his¬
toric novel ever written about the Rev¬
olutionary War in North Carolina
and the literary editors of the nation
view of the book.
Mr. Blythe's hooks have received ex¬
cellent reviews bv both American and
foreign cities who like his style of
writing and the material he turns out.
Right now. he has another book in
mind which he plans to write soon,
although he still can’t figure out just
how lie got tin1 first two finished.
Because of his regular duties with
The Charlotte Observer. Blythe was
forced to write the books in his spare
time and recalls that lie seldom spent
a* much as two hours at a time on
them.
Most of the material was written
in his pajamas late at night or early
in the morning and. being a family
man. he was quite often chased from
one room to another.
His last book was literally written
"in pieces," lie jokingly declares. Part
of the time he was reading publisher's
proofs on the first chapter as he was
writing the rest of the hook. He didn’t
know how it would end until he sal
down to write the last chapter.
The last two chapters were hurried¬
ly written on his way to cover a sensa¬
tional trial in Charlotte, and out of
500 manuscript pages not more than
25 or 30 were rewritten. The hook was
sold long before the first half was writ¬
ten and he had to rush the rest in
squeezing it between his regular work¬
ing hours for the newspaper.
Much of the authors writing i«
done in a crowded junk room over his
garage among discarded furniture,
toys and baby carriages. Here he finds
for an hour or so at a time the quiet
and ponce necessary for writing.
It was at his village home as a boy
and then as a man that Blythe got the
inspiration for his books. He is the
«on of W. B. Blythe, well-known
Huntersville resident, whose family
has been in Mecklenburg for more
than 200 years, and the late Hatty*
Jackson Blythe.
The author married Esther Farmer
of Halifax County. Ya.. and they have
three children. William Brevard. II.
Samuel LeGette, and Esther Lovelace
Blythe. They live the happy life of a
typical small-town family in Hunters¬
ville.
At The University of North Caro¬
lina, where lie was graduated in 1021,
the “Squire” was jokingly called
"lazy” by his classmates because of
hi» modesty, but his record of achieve¬
ment there proves different and lie did
much extra-curricular work.
Majoring in English, he was a mem¬
ber of the staff of The Daily Tar Heel.
the Carolina Magazine, the Yackety
Yaek. The Tar Baby, and other school
III hlicat ions, and a member of Phi
lota Kappa, Omega Delta, and Sjg
nia Upsilon fraternities. He was win¬
ner of the
Пип1ег
Lee Harris medal
( Continued on page ttrenty-one)