Osyth Wyatt
the artist
Osyth Wyatt
the art
Osyth Wyatt is one of the leading writers of fiction working
in America today. (Actually, Osyth is getting on in years and hasn't
produced much since about 1980.) Early novels include "Tundra" and
"Stretch." His collection of short stories, "Physically Impossible,"
won several awards; the title story was a runnerup in the 1943
O. Henry competition. His novel "Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner" is
widely considered his finest work; it is a devastating portrait of a
soldier-turned-politician and his ascension high office. Since 1962,
Mr. Wyatt has concentrated on children's literature; "Some Are, Some
Aren't" won an American Book Award in 1967.
the beret
Mr. Wyatt does not, as a rule, wear berets, tams, cowboy hats,
or most other headgear. For a time he wore a fez, but stopped after
passing a mirror in Macys one day.
In the late 40s, however, he used to wear a black beret to jazz
concerts. He gave it up around the same time he quit smoking.
I don't know exactly what you're looking for with the Virtual Beret
stuff. I just happened to see your posting when I was cruising the
internet today; it reminded me of a short story I wrote in about 1980
that went absolutely nowhere, "An Interview with Osyth Wyatt."
At present Osyth Wyatt is collecting dust somewhere on a typewritten
page, in a box that I probably forgot about in 1983 or 1982. But ol'
Osyth lives on in my mind, so with a little bit of brain patching I
was able to answer some of the questions you were asking, vis-a-vis
his stunning career. (As I allude to, Mr. Wyatt is indeed getting on
in years. In fact he's been hospitalized for a couple of weeks now and
some think he won't pull thru. I know better.)
Submitted by John Kelin (kelin@rmtc.Central.Sun.COM), on Friday, June 3, 1994, from Colorado Springs, Colorado