Robert Bell
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Brief Biography
Robert Bell was born and raised in Tarrant City, Alabama. His passion for literature and writing developed during his high school years, leading him to pursue an English major at Birmingham-Southern College. After serving in the US Army, Bell resumed his studies, earning a bachelor’s degree in English from BSC in 1950. He continued his education at Harvard University, where he obtained a master’s degree in English in 1952. Bell worked at the Mobile Public Library and, later, the Fort Worth Public Library while working on a novel set in Fairhope, Alabama. His novel, titled The Butterfly Tree, was published in 1959. Bell went on to hold positions as a librarian or book shop owner in the cities of San Francisco, New Orleans, and Mobile. He earned a master’s degree in library science from Louisiana State University in 1967, and he earned a doctorate in library science from the University of California Berkeley in 1974. In 1976, Bell accepted a librarian position at the University of California Davis, where he wrote three reference works on classical mythology. In his retirement, he returned to writing fiction, which was never published. His correspondence with Fairhope, Alabama, resident Mary Lois Timbes was published in 2001, two years after Bell’s death, as Meet Me at the Butterfly Tree.
Publications
A Bibliography of Mobile, Alabama. Alabama; University of Alabama, 1956.
The Butterfly Tree: A Novel. Philadelphia; Lippincott, 1959.
A Dictionary of Classical Mythology: Symbols, Attributes and Association in Classical Myth. California; ABC-CLIO, 1982.
Place Names in Classical Mythology: Greece. California; ABC-CLIO, 1989.
Women of Classical Mythology: A Biographical Guide. California; ABC-CLIO, 1991.
The Butterfly Tree: A Novel. Philadelphia; Lippincott, 1959.
A Dictionary of Classical Mythology: Symbols, Attributes and Association in Classical Myth. California; ABC-CLIO, 1982.
Place Names in Classical Mythology: Greece. California; ABC-CLIO, 1989.
Women of Classical Mythology: A Biographical Guide. California; ABC-CLIO, 1991.
Themes
Robert Bell wrote reference books on classical mythology and a coming-of-age novel set in Alabama. His novel is known for its descriptions of setting and its unique characters.
Publisher
Alabama Authors of the 19th and 20th Centuries, edited by Beverley Park Rilett, http://AlabamaAuthors.org
Collection
Citation
Bell, Robert, “Robert Bell,” Alabama Authors of the 19th & 20th Centuries, accessed September 19, 2024, https://alabamaauthors.org/items/show/539.