John Berryman

Ernest J. Smith (Independent Scholar - North America)
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John Berryman was born October 25, 1914 in McAlester, Oklahoma, the son of John Allyn Smith, a banker, and Martha Shaver Little Smith, a schoolteacher. Berryman was raised a Catholic during his early years and served as an altar boy in his church. Just before his eleventh birthday he and his younger brother were placed in a Catholic boarding school near his hometown when his parents, along with his maternal grandmother, moved to Tampa, Florida, where they bought and operated a restaurant while speculating in the Florida land boom. Within a few months the boys joined their parents in Florida, attending public school, but in 1926 the Florida market slumped, and the Smith family lost much of their money. The restaurant was sold at a significant loss, and the family moved to an apartment in…

1616 words

Citation: Smith, Ernest J.. "John Berryman". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 July 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=396, accessed 19 March 2024.]

396 John Berryman 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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