Hal Borland

Harold "Hal" Glen Borland (May 14, 1900 – February 22, 1978) was an American author, journalist and naturalist. In addition to writing many non-fiction and fiction books about the outdoors, he was a staff writer and editorialist for The New York Times.[1]

Early life and education

Borland was born on the plains in Sterling, Nebraska, to Sarah M (née Clinaburg) and William Arthur Borland. When Hal was 10, the family moved 30 miles south of Brush, Colorado, where his father staked out a homesteader's claim on the prairie. Hal later detailed his experience on the homestead in his book "High, Wide, and Lonesome." After proving out on the homestead claim, his father sold the homestead and bought a weekly newspaper in Flagler, Colorado, where Hal finished his school years. This experience is detailed in his book "Country Editor's Boy." After attending local schools, he studied at the University of Colorado from 1918-1920, majoring in engineering. While there, he held jobs at the Denver Post and the Flagler News. It was during this time he realized his true calling was as an author, and he soon moved to New York where he studied journalism and graduated from Columbia University in 1923 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature.

Career

Borland started writing as a journalist for publications such as The Denver Post and the Flagler News. While attending Columbia University he wrote for the Brooklyn Times, the United Press, and King Features Service. After graduation Borland worked for a variety of newspapers across the United States, eventually settling in Philadelphia and working for Curtis Newspapers, the Philadelphia Morning Sun, and the Philadelphia Morning Ledger from 1926 until 1937.

In 1937 Borland began writing for The New York Times, first as a staff writer for The New York Times Sunday Magazine (1937-1943) and then in 1942 as an editorial writer for The New York Sunday Times, a position he held until his death in 1978. While at The Times, Borland began writing about his experience as an outdoorsman in a series of editorials that were later compiled into two books. He wrote similar pieces for the Berkshire Eagle (1958-1978), Pittsburgh Press (1966-1978), and Torrington Register (1971-1978).

Borland also wrote short stories, poetry, novels (including westerns under the pseudonym Ward West), biographical novels, non-fiction, articles for a variety of magazines, and one play.

Works
    • Heaps of Gold (1922), a collection of verse
    • Rocky Mountain Tipi Tails (1924), a young adult novel.
    • The Amulet
    • High, Wide, and Lonesome (1956, 1990), Hal's experience on the homestead south of Brush, Colorado.
    • The Seventh Winter (1960)
    • The Dog Who Came to Stay (1961), a must read for any dog lover
    • When the Legends Die (1963), about the struggles of a young Ute Indian to live apart from white society, has become a young adult classic. It was adapted as a film by the same name directed by Stuart Millar and released in 1972.
    • The King of Squaw Mountain (1964)
    • An American Year: Country Life and Landscapes Through the Seasons (1946)
    • Beyond Your Doorstep: A Handbook to the Country (1962)
    • This Hill, This Valley (1957, 1990), about a year on his Connecticut farm
    • Hill Country Harvest
    • Sundial of the Seasons: A Selection of Outdoor Editorials from the New York Times (1964)
    • Seasons
    • Hal Borland's Book of Days
    • Twelve Moons of the Year (1979)
    • Countryman: A Summary of Belief (1965)
    • Hill Country Harvest (1967)
    • Homeland: A Report from the Country (1969)
    • Country Editor's Boy (1970),[2] growing up in Flagler, Colorado.

Awards and honors

Personal life

Borland was married twice, to Helen Alice née Le Bene until her death in 1944, and to Barbara Ross née Dodge until Borland's death in 1978. Both of his wives were also writers. Borland and Helen had three sons, Harold Glen Jr. (1925-1963), Donal William (1929-), and Neil Frederick (1929-1944).

In 1952, Borland and wife Barbara moved to a 100-acre farm in Connecticut, where they lived and worked until his death in 1978 at the age of 77 from emphysema.[3]

gollark: Oh hey, the monitoring system just failed.
gollark: Nope!
gollark: No.
gollark: `sudo` won't respond in a reasonable timeframe either.
gollark: It's quite worrying that it is in fact working perfectly since I'm trying to reboot it, but you know.

References
  1. Sparknotes.com-When the Legends Die-Hal Borland
  2. J.B. Lippincott Company
  3. Hal and Barbara Dodge Borland Papers. Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.


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