Weatherly, Max, 1921-

Born in 1921 in Louisiana, Max Weatherly was an author, teacher, traveler, veteran of the Second World War, and a life-long artist. When he was very young, his family moved to Alabama and it was here that Weatherly grew up amidst a burgeoning southern literary tradition--a tradition he embraced from a young age. He published three novels and a handful of articles and and contined to write throughout his life. Weatherly's literary career began in earnest while working as a writing instructor at NYU; he published The Long Desire (1959) and Adulteress (1962) but neither sold very well. His biggest success came with the publication of The Mantis and the Moth (1964) which has appeared in five separate editions and was translated into Dutch in 1969. Despite critical praise for the novel, Weatherly was unable to sell any subsequent novels, but he never stopped writing. He moved around the country earning money as a teacher, billing clerk, freelance writer, and in the advertising department of The Journal of Commerce all the while publishing the occasional article and continuing to write fiction. He retired to Delray Beach, Florida where he wrote a monthly column for Status magazine. He died in 2006 just a few weeks before his 85th birthday.

From the description of Max Weatherly papers, 1930-2003 (bulk 1963-1989). (Kent State University). WorldCat record id: 761325845

Born on the 25th of March, 1921 in the wilderness of Louisiana, Max Weatherly was an author, teacher, traveler, veteran of the Second World War, and a life-long artist. He published only three novels and a handful of articles in his lifetime although he never stopped writing. When he was very young, his family moved to Alabama and it was here that Weatherly grew up amidst a burgeoning southern literary tradition--a tradition he embraced from a young age. When he was 12 he wrote a short three-act play which his school performed. A few years later in Junior High School, he wrote another longer play also performed by his school.

Despite these early successes, he received little to no encouragement from his family and was forced to pursue his love of the written word alone. He spent some time working as a copy boy on the Montgomery Advertiser after graduating high school in 1939 and joined the Air Force when America entered the Second World War. He spent the next three years as a Staff Sergeant in St. Louis but never made it overseas. After the war, Weatherly continued his education first as a student at Stetson University and then at Florida State where he graduated with an AB in English in 1949. He attempted graduate school at the University of Alabama but quit after two years when he could not finish the novel that was to be his thesis. He moved to New York City where he says that he was mostly broke and hungry before he eventually found work as a secretary for the American Oil Company. They sent him to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia where he spent three years working before taking a freighter around the world and returning to New York.

It was here that Weatherly's literary career began in earnest. While working as a writing instructor at NYU, he published The Long Desire (1959) and Adulteress (1962) but neither sold very well. His biggest success came with the publication of The Mantis and the Moth (1964) which has appeared in five separate editions and was translated into Dutch in 1969. Despite critical praise for the novel, he was never able to sell another. Still, Weatherly never stopped writing. He moved around the country earning money as a teacher, billing clerk, freelance writer, and in the advertising department of The Journal of Commerce all the while publishing the occasional article and continuing to work on his own fiction. He retired to Delray Beach, Florida where he wrote a monthly column for Status magazine. He died in 2006.

From the guide to the Max Weatherly papers, 1930-2003, 1963-1989, (Kent State University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives.)