Robert Nathan

Born in New York City in 1894, Robert Nathan became known for novels, poems, and screenwriting that often mixed realism with the magical or dreamlike. He studied at Harvard and began publishing in the early 20th century, building a career that stretched across many decades.

His best-known book is Portrait of Jennie, first published in 1940, which was later adapted into a well-known film. Nathan also wrote The Bishop's Wife, another of his most lasting works, and his writing was widely admired for its warmth, grace, and quiet emotional pull.

Alongside his fiction, he worked in film and wrote screenplays in Hollywood. He died in 1985, leaving behind a body of work remembered for its lyrical style and its gift for making the extraordinary feel intimate and human.