Breon, John Wallace, 1923-1984.

John Wallace Breon (1923-1984), minor author and copywriter, was a friend of Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, and Carl Van Vechten. He wrote The Sorrows of Travel (1955) and an unpublished play, See Grady See.

From the description of John Breon letters to Charles Boewe, ca. 1944-1956. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 82544285

From the description of John Breon letters to Charles Boewe, ca. 1944-1956. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702152746

From the description of John Breon papers, 1936-1984 (inclusive), 1944-1951 (bulk). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702131639

John Breon was born in Rockford, Illinois, on August 21, 1923, the son of John Wallace Breon and Jessie Breon. He served in the infantry in France during World War II, at which time he met Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. After his discharge from the army, he studied in Paris. In 1946 Breon returned to the United States and entered Beloit College. After his graduation in 1949, he spent two years at the Sorbonne and at the University of Florence. While in Italy, he began work on a novel, The Sorrows of Travel (1955), a copy of which can be found in the Beinecke printed collection.

During the 1950s Breon joined McGraw-Hill Company. but in 1966 he left McGraw-Hill for the New American Library. He remained with the NAL until 1968, when he took a position with Franklin Speir, Inc., a New York advertising agency. In 1969 he returned to McGraw-Hill, joining the Industrial and Business Books Division as an advertising copywriter. Breon retired in 1979.

In 1963 Breon and a companion, Charles Cerbone, purchased the Ryerson House in Wayne, New Jersey. In 1982 they moved to Succasunna, New Jersey, where John Breon died after a lengthy illness on April 21, 1984.

From the guide to the John Breon papers, 1936-1984 (inclusive), 1944-1951, (Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library)