This Goodly Land
Carl Carmer (October 16, 1893–September 11, 1976)
Other Names Used
- Carl Lamson Carmer: full name
Alabama Connections
- Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa County: adult residence
Selected Works
- Carmer, Carl. Deep South. New York: Farrar and Rinehart, Inc., 1930.
- Carmer, Carl. Stars Fell on Alabama. Illus. Cyrus LeRoy Baldridge. New York: Farrar & Rinehart, 1934. Rpt. University: University of Alabama Press, 1985. Rpt. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2000.
- Carmer, Carl. Listen for a Lonesome Drum: A York State Chronicle. New York: Farrar & Rinehart, Inc., 1936. Rpt. New York: Sloane, 1950. Rpt. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1995.
- Carmer, Carl. The Hurricane’s Children: Tales from Your Neck o’ the Woods. Illus. Elizabeth Black Carmer. New York: Farrar & Rinehart, 1937. Rpt. New York: D. McKay Co., 1967.
- Carmer, Carl. The Hudson. Illus. Stow Wengenroth. New York: Farrar & Rinehart, Inc., 1939. Rpt. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1968. Rpt. New York: Fordham University Press, 1992.
- Carmer, Carl. Hurricane Luck. Illus. Elizabeth Black Carmer. New York: Aladdin Books, 1949. For younger readers.
- Carmer, Carl. Windfall Fiddle. Illus. Arthur Conrad. New York: Knopf, 1950. For younger readers.
- Carmer, Carl. Pets at the White House. Illus. Sam Savitt. New York: Dutton, 1959. For younger readers.
Biographical Information
Carl Carmer was born and raised in rural upstate New York. He graduated from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., with a baccalaureate degree in 1914 and obtained an MA at Harvard University in 1915. Carmer then taught English at Syracuse University and the University of Rochester and served as an artillery instructor at Fort Sill, Okla., during World War I. From 1921 to 1927, Carmer taught English at the University of Alabama. He began studying Alabama, traveling around the state and making notes on the folklore and the people, intending to write a scholarly paper about what he observed. In 1927, Carmer left the university and took a job as columnist and reporter for the New Orleans Item-Tribune. The following year, he became an assistant editor at Vanity Fair in New York. In 1929, Carmer became an assistant editor at Theatre Arts Monthly. In 1930, he published a book of poetry based on Alabama locales called Deep South.
In 1933, Carmer lost his editing job and decided to focus on a prose book he was writing about his experiences in Alabama. Residencies at Yaddo and the MacDowell Colony helped support him during this period. Stars Fell on Alabama was published in 1934 and quickly became a bestseller. Similar books about New York State folklore followed, the first appearing in 1936. In 1937, Carmer told American folktales on a radio show called Your Neck o’ the Woods and published a collection of stories from that program, The Hurricane’s Children. In the late 1940s, Carmer began writing children’s books, many of which were illustrated by his wife Elizabeth. In addition to his writing, Carmer was editor for the Rivers of America and Regions of America series. He was involved with several professional organizations for writers and editors, served as a director of the American Civil Liberties Union, and was one of the founders of the Scenic Hudson Preservation Conference.
Interests and Themes
Carl Carmer’s books often highlight American history and folklore, with a special focus on his home state of New York. Two books, Deep South and Stars Fell on Alabama, are based on his experiences in Alabama.
For More Information
Please check your local library for these materials. If items are not available locally, your librarian can help you borrow them through the InterLibrary Loan program. Your librarian can also help you find other information about this author.
There may be more information available through the databases in the Alabama Virtual Library. If you are an Alabama citizen, AVL can be used at your public library or school library media center. You can also get a username and password from your librarian to use AVL at home.
Reference Articles
- Beidler, Philip. "Yankee Interloper and Native Son: Carl Carmer and Clarence Cason: Unlikely Twins of Alabama Expose". Southern Cultures 9.1. (2003): 18-35.
- Benet, William Rose. "Man from the Genesee: A Sketch of Carl Carmer". Saturday Review of Literature 6 Dec. 1941: 6-7, 36.
- Van Gelder, Robert. "An Interview with Mr. Carl Carmer: The Folklorist and Novelist Discusses His Work Methods and Personal History in a Candid Talk". New York Times 11 Jan. 1942: BR2, 14.
Reference Book Chapters and Encyclopedia Entries
- "Carmer, Carl (Lamson) 1893-1976"; Something About the Author. Vol. 37. Detroit: Gale Research Company, . 45-48.
Reference Book Prefaces
- Flynt, J. Wayne. Introduction. Stars Fell on Alabama by Carl Carmer. University: University of Alabama Press, . xi-xviii.
Reference Web Sites
- Greenhaw, Wayne. "Stars Fell on Alabama". The Encyclopedia of Alabama. 2008. Alabama Humanities Foundation and Auburn University. http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1596.
Location of Papers
- New York State Historical Association
Photo courtesy of the New York State Historical Association.
Last updated on Dec 19, 2007.