Barbara Wersba
Barbara Wersba was an American author and former actor, born on August 19, 1932, in Chicago, Illinois. She spent her early years in California and began her acting career at the age of twelve, performing in radio, television, and on stage for fifteen years. After her parents' divorce and a move to New York City, Wersba studied acting and later attended Bard College, graduating in 1954. However, her life took a significant turn when she fell ill with hepatitis in 1960, leading her to rediscover her passion for writing during her recovery.
Wersba became a prolific writer, focusing on young adult fiction that often featured adolescent protagonists navigating complex issues with the help of older mentors. Her notable works include *The Dream Watcher*, which was adapted into a play, and *Tunes for a Small Harmonica*, a National Book Award finalist. Throughout her career, she addressed themes relevant to gay and lesbian teens, influenced by her personal experiences, including her time caring for author Carson McCullers. In 1994, she founded Bookman Press and continued writing until her later years. Barbara Wersba passed away on February 18, 2018, at the age of eighty-five, leaving a legacy through her contributions to young adult literature.
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Barbara Wersba
- Born: August 19, 1932
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
- Died: February 18, 2018
- Place of death: Englewood, New Jersey
Biography
Barbara Wersba was born on August 19, 1932, in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in California. Her parents were Robert Wersba and Lucy Jo Quarles Wersba. From an early age, Wersba loved to write stories, poems, and plays. She was an only child and an unhappy one. She spent a great of time alone dreaming of a career that would take her away from home.
When she was twelve, Wersba became a professional actor, and continued with this career on and off for fifteen years, working in radio and television and on the stage. Her parents divorced when she was thirteen, and Wersba and her mother moved to New York City. At fifteen she studied acting with Martha Graham at the Neighborhood Playhouse, and at sixteen she joined the Paul Mann Actors’ Workshop. She attended Bard College, graduating in 1954.
Joining a stock company in New Jersey, Wersba became a full-time actor while continuing acting lessons. She enjoyed performing but was too shy to enjoy auditions and networking. She commented later that her years as an actor had been miserable. In 1960, her career took an abrupt turn when she became ill with hepatitis and was bedridden for five months. When a friend suggested she take up writing to help pass the time, Wersba rediscovered her old passion. She never acted again, but devoted herself to writing eight hours a day.
Wersba’s first several books were picture books, beginning with The Boy Who Loved the Sea. In the early 1960’s, she moved to Rockland County, New York, setting up a writing studio in a small house. Later, she and a partner bought and refurbished an old country store. She wrote in the mornings and kept shop in the afternoons.
In 1968, Wersba published her first teen novel, The Dream Watcher, about a teenage boy who befriends an older woman. The book was a popular and critical success. In the early 1970’s, the actor Eva Le Gallienne, whom Wersba had admired on Broadway as a teenager, asked to play the part of the old woman in a stage version of The Dream Watcher. Wersba wrote a play script, which was performed in Westport, Connecticut, and in Seattle in the late 1970’s. The Seattle production was a failure, and Wersba revived herself by opening a small women’s writing workshop in her home. In 1994, Wersba founded Bookman Press. By then she was living in Sag Harbor, New York.
The author of more than two dozen books, Wersba was best known as an author of young adult novels featuring adolescent protagonists who find help from older friends in dealing with their problems, including the difficulties faced by gay and lesbian teens. She stated that this theme was drawn from her own life, particularly citing the time she spent in the 1960s caring for author Carson McCullers, who was then elderly and ill. Run Softly, Go Fast was named an American Library Association (ALA) Best Young Adult Book. Tunes for a Small Harmonica was also an ALA Best Young Adult Book, and was a National Book Award finalist.
Wersba eventually moved into the Lillian Booth Actors' Home, a retirement home in Englewood, New Jersey, operated by the Actors Fund charity. She died there on February 18, 2018, at the age of eighty-five.
Bibliography
"Barbara Wersba, Author." The East Hampton Star, 21 Feb. 2018, easthamptonstar.com/Obituaries/2018221/Barbara-Wersba-Author. Accessed 21 Nov. 2018.
Review of Crazy Vanilla, by Barbara Wersba. Publishers Weekly, 1 Jan. 1986, www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-06-026368-3. Accessed 21 Nov. 2018.
Poe, Elizabeth Ann. Presenting Barbara Wersba. Twayne, 1998.
Verongos, Helen T. "Barbara Wersba, 85, Dies; Wrote Candid Books for Young Adults." The New York Times, 21 Mar. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/obituaries/barbara-wersba-85-dies-wrote-candid-books-for-young-adults.html. Accessed 21 Nov. 2018.
Review of Walter: Story of a Rat, by Barbara Wersba, illustrated by Donna Diamond. Publishers Weekly, 14 Nov. 2005, www.publishersweekly.com/9781932425413. Accessed 21 Nov. 2018.