Partner Henry Davis Sleeper
Queer Places:
Columbia University (Ivy League), 116th St and Broadway, New York, NY 10027
Green-Wood Cemetery, Greenwood Heights, Kings County, New York, USA
Guy Wetmore Carryl (March 4, 1873 – April 1, 1904) was an American poet, novelist, and humorist born in New York City on March 4, 1873, as the first-born
child of author Charles Edward Carryl and Mary Russell Wetmore. Growing up during the late nineteenth century, he attended the Cutler School and went on
to graduate from Columbia College in 1895. During his college years, he wrote plays for amateur performances and was noted for his good looks, manners,
literary wit, and zest for life. At the age of twenty, he published his first article in The New York Times. While at Columbia, he earned early notoriety
with his youthful and scandalous epigram, "It takes two bodies to make one seduction," which famously scandalized his professor, Harry Thurston Peck.
Following his graduation, Carryl embarked on a successful literary and editorial career. In 1896, he joined the staff of Munsey's Magazine under Frank
Munsey and was subsequently promoted to managing editor. He later moved on to work for Harper's Magazine, which sent him to live and write in Paris.
During his career, his articles and independent writings appeared in prominent publications such as Life, Outing, Munsey's, and Collier's.
Carryl is best remembered for his humorous, "fractured" verse parodies of traditional tales, which often featured clever puns in their moral lessons
at the end of each poem. His celebrated poetry collections include Fables for the Frivolous in 1898, Mother Goose for Grown-Ups in 1900, and Grimm Tales
Made Gay in 1902. In addition to his light verse, he wrote novels and fiction, including The Lieutenant Governor in 1902, Zut and Other Parisians in
1903, and The Transgression of Andrew Vane in 1904.
Carryl had a significant connection to Henry Davis Sleeper, with whom he was in a romantic
relationship. Sleeper kept multiple photographs of Carryl in his bedroom, and Carryl's posthumous final novel was dedicated to him.
Carryl's life was cut short at the age of thirty-one. He fell seriously ill with what was described as "rheumatic grip and blood poisoning," believed
to have been contracted from exposure while fighting a fire at his bachelor cottage or bungalow in Swampscott. He passed away at Roosevelt Hospital in
New York City on April 1, 1904—a fittingly ironic date of death for a master of puns, acting almost as a posthumous joke. Following his death, two final
works were published in 1904: Far From the Maddening Girls and his serious poetry collection, The Garden of Years. He was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery
in Brooklyn, New York City.
References:
Other references:
- Fables for the Frivolous (with Apologies to La Fontaine) (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1898) — His debut collection of humorous verse parodies featuring animal fables and pun-laden morals.
- Mother Goose for Grown-Ups (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1900) — A collection of 19 satirical reworkings of traditional nursery rhymes.
- Grimm Tales Made Gay (Boston & New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1902) — Whimsical, satirical verse adaptations of traditional Brothers Grimm fairy tales.
- The Lieutenant-Governor (New5 York: Harper & Brothers, 1902) — A political novel.
- Zut and Other Parisians (Boston & New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1903) — A collection of short stories set in France.
- The Transgression of Andrew Vane (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1904) — A novel drawing on his experiences abroad.
- Far From the Maddening Girls (New York: McClure, Phillips & Co., 1904) — A posthumously published light novel.
- The Garden of Years and Other Poems (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1904) — A posthumous collection of his serious verse, featuring an introduction by Edmund Clarence Stedman and an introductory poem by Carolyn Wells.
- Columbia University Archives (C250 Celebrates Your Columbians): Features historical documentation on his time at Columbia College (Class of 1895), his early editorial work, and his relationship with professor Harry Thurston Peck.
- Dictionary of Literary Biography (DLB): Standard academic reference profile detailing his life, bibliography, and literary movement context at the close of the Gilded Age.
- Green-Wood Cemetery Records (Brooklyn, New York): Burial and internment documentation for Guy Wetmore Carryl, alongside records for his parents, Charles Edward Carryl and Mary Russell Wetmore Carryl.
- Project Gutenberg & Internet Archive: Free public-domain digital texts of Fables for the Frivolous, Grimm Tales Made Gay, and The Garden of Years and Other Poems.
- Wikisource: Digitized text transcriptions of The Garden of Years and Other Poems, including original illustrations and introductions.
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