14 Facts About Floyd Dell

Floyd James Dell was an American newspaper and magazine editor, literary critic, novelist, playwright, and poet.

Floyd Dell was born in Barry, Illinois, on June 28,1887 to Anthony Floyd Dell, a Civil War veteran and unsuccessful butcher, and Kate Crone, a home maker.

Floyd Dell spent his childhood in poverty, with his family moving often.

Floyd Dell lived in Quincy, Illinois, for a large portion of his childhood.

In 1903 Floyd Dell moved with his family to Davenport, Iowa, which was then a liberal and cosmopolitan port city and center of trade with a thriving literary and intellectual scene.

Floyd Dell became an active socialist and associated with other local writers to form what would be called the 'Davenport group'.

Floyd Dell is quoted as saying that he "caught a glimpse of mountaintops" through Freeman's inspiration, and he dedicated a number of poems and novels to her.

In 1918 Floyd Dell joined Crystal and Max Eastman co-editing The Masses' successor, The Liberator.

Floyd Dell joined fellow Davenporters Susan Glaspell and George Cram Cook as a member of the Provincetown Players and his play King Arthur's Socks was the first performed by that historic theater group.

Floyd Dell's autobiographical memoir, Homecoming, is a striking eyewitness view of the social and artistic-bohemian history of the midwest.

Floyd Dell continued to publish both fiction and non-fiction until the end of his life.

Floyd Dell joined the WPA and US Information Service in 1935 from which he retired following World War II.

Floyd Dell married and had two daughters: Jerri Dell who is the current literary executor and archivist of the Dell Collection, and Kathryn Dell Kaufman; then he divorced and remarried Kate Kane.

Floyd Dell died in Bethesda, Maryland, near Washington, DC, on July 23,1969.