George Davis (editor)

George Davis (February 4, 1906 – November 25, 1957) was an American magazine editor known for his work in the mid-20th century. He was associated with several prominent publications, including editorial roles at Harper's Bazaar and Mademoiselle. In addition to his editorial work, Davis was also a writer of fiction

Early life
Davis was born on February 4, 1906, in Chicago, Illinois to Canadian immigrants. He was the youngest of five boys (an elder sister died of diphtheria before his birth). His father worked nighttime as a pharmacist in a cousin's pharmacy, on Clark Street, near the north side. In the daytime, his father attended medical school at the University of Illinois' College of Physicians and Surgeons of Chicago. He graduated on June 4, 1909, when Davis was 3 years old. In 1910, the family moved to Clinton, Michigan.

Before the United States entered World War I on April 6, 1917, Davis' eldest brother, Harold, joined France's Canadian Expeditionary Force as a motorcycle courier. He relayed communications from the command between the rear and the front lines, often through enemy territory. In 1918, the family moved to Highland Park, Michigan, in central Detroit, and Davis enrolled with Tilden Elementary School. Shortly afterwards, the Great Influenza epidemic impacted the family, as his father treated the sick.

With his father's permission, Davis was allowed access to adult literature. He frequented the libraries, reading approximately one book per day. After graduating from Tilden in 1919, Davis attended Central High School.

At that time, Davis's brother returned from the war with his wife, Marguerite d'Hyevre, a widow whose husband was killed at Verdun. Her young son arrived from Paris within a year. Marguerite taught Davis French. Upon his graduation from high school in 1923, he could speak French without an accent.

He entered City College (now Wayne State University) but soon left for Chicago, where he worked in the office of a steel company before taking a job in Marshall Field's book department. In December 1926, Davis returned to Highland Park for permission and funds from his father to go to Paris. He wanted to join the growing post-war community of American expatriate writers and artists there. In 1927, he traveled to France and wrote his novel, The Opening of a Door, published by Harper in 1931.

The Opening of a Door
His only novel, The Opening of a Door, was published in 1931. He intended to unmask the hypocrisy and tragedy of midwestern middle-class life. Clifton Fadiman, wrote that "the smoothness of the prose, the unity of the tone. . . are all the marks of a practiced craftsman. It is one of the most unfirstish first novels I have ever read. It is difficult to believe it is the work of one so young." Davis was twenty-four when the novel was published by Harper Brothers. It was one of the most critically acclaimed novels of 1931.

Editorship
Davis served as fiction editor of the periodical Harper's Bazaar from 1936 to 1941. After being fired from Harper's, he served as an editor for Mademoiselle for eight years. A flamboyant genius and homosexual, Davis was noted for bringing literature to women's magazines. He was an early sponsor of such diverse literary figures as Truman Capote, Ray Bradbury, Jane Bowles, and Robert Lowry.

February House
Davis and several friends, including Gypsy Rose Lee, founded an art commune at 7 Middagh Street in Brooklyn Heights, New York, in October 1940. It was dubbed February House by Anaïs Nin, for many of its residents' February birthdays. The house was a hub of cultural activities, with figures like Benjamin Britten, W. H. Auden and Carson McCullers as live-in guests. A study of 7 Middagh Street, entitled February House, was published in 2005.

Death
Davis died of a heart attack in Berlin, Germany, on November 25, 1957, where he had been helping his wife, singer Lotte Lenya, make recordings.

Davis in literature
A literary satire of George Davis was written by Truman Capote as the character "Boaty" in his unfinished work Answered Prayers.