William Demby

William Demby (December 25, 1922 – May 23, 2013) was an African-American writer, whose works include Beetlecreek, The Catacombs (1965), Love Story Black (1978) and King Comus (published posthumously in November 2017).

Life

William Demby was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on December 25, 1922, to William and Gertrude Demby. He was raised alongside six siblings by his mother, who was a schoolteacher, and his father, who worked for a natural gas company. His family later moved to Clarksburg, West Virginia. He studied English briefly at West Virginia State University with Margaret Walker but was drafted into an African-American cavalry unit that was deployed to North Africa and Italy during World War II. During his military service he contributed to the Army publication Stars and Stripes.

William Demby died in Sag Harbor, Long Island, New York, on May 23, 2013, aged 90.

Career Books Beetlecreek (1950) Set in West Virginia, the novel follows the intricate race relations between an elderly white man, a young black teen involved in gangs, and an artist in an unhealthy relationship. The Catacombs (1965) Expanding the literary boundaries for Black authors, this semi-autobiographical novel follows the main character Bill Demby and his experience as an author living in Rome. Love Story Black (1978) Blueboy (1980) King Comus, 2007 (published posthumously in November 2017)

Films

Assistant Director

Europe '51 (1952)

Screenwriter Commando (1962) The Eye of the Needle (1963) A lawyer defends two men in Sicily accused of raping a young woman. Congo Vivo (1962) Set during the revolution in Congo, the plot follows an Italian journalist who is in love with the wife of a Belgian businessman. Actor

Anna's Sin (1953) Seven Deadly Sins, "L'invidia" (1952) A French/Italian co-production covering the seven deadly sins. Two episodes from Italy, and five from France, the series also covers an eighth sin: eighth unknown sin. The series is introduced and sometimes narrated by a carnival barker named Gerald Philipe.

Translator L'occhio selvaggio (1967)