BUNNER, HENRY CUYLER

born Aug. 3, 1855, Oswego, N.Y., U.S. died May 11, 1896, Nutley, N.J. poet, novelist, and editor whose verse and fiction primarily depict the scenes and people of New York City. Educated in New York City, Bunner served on the staff of the Arcadian, at 22 becoming assistant editor and later editor of Puck until his death. He developed Puck from a new, struggling comic weekly into a powerful social and political organ. Bunner's fiction, particularly Made in France; French Tales Retold with a United States Twist (1893), reflects the influence of Guy de Maupassant and other French writers. Bunner published several novels, but these are considered inferior to his stories and sketches. As a playwright he is known chiefly for Tower of Babel (1883). Collections of his verse, which has been praised for its technical dexterity, playfulness, and smoothness of finish, include Airs from Arcady and Elsewhere (1884), Rowen (1892), and Poems (1896).