Barretto, Larry, 1890-1971

Born in Larchmont, New York, Laurence (Larry) Barretto (1890-1971) was a novelist, magazine editor, and war correspondent. He began his writing career working for a Plainfield, New Jersey newspaper. After that, he wrote advertising copy for the Wall Street Journal .

During World War I, Barretto served as an ambulance driver, for which he was awarded the Cruix de Guerre. He was among the first American authors to write on the soldier's experience in World War I, and the malaise of returning to peace time America. The bulk of Barretto's novels deal with this period.

From 1926-1927, Barretto served as a drama critic for The Bookman, and in 1929 he worked as assistant editor of Adventure magazine.

During World War II, Barretto served as an enlisted officer in the American Field Service and as a correspondent in both the Caribbean and China-Burma-India theaters.