HERGESHEIMER, JOSEPH

born Feb. 15, 1880, Philadelphia died April 25, 1954, Sea Isle City, N.J., U.S. American author whose novels are typically concerned with the decadent and sophisticated milieu of the very wealthy. After giving up the study of painting, Hergesheimer turned to writing. Beginning with The Lay Anthony (1914), he established himself as a popular and prolific writer of novels, short stories, biography, history, and criticism. His work is distinguished for the Baroque lushness of its descriptive passages and its often penetrating psychological insights. Of his novels, The Three Black Pennys (1917), the story of three generations of the wealthy, mine-owning Penny family; Java Head (1919); and Balisand (1924) are considered his best. In 1921 a motion picture based on his short story "Tol'able David" was made. His books lost both their critical approval and their popularity in the 1930s.