Bernard Smith (editor)

Bernard Smith
Born	September 20, 1907 New York City, U.S.
Died	December 21, 1999 Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Alma mater	City University of New York
Occupation	Literary editor, film producer
Relatives	Emil L. Smith (brother)

Bernard Smith (September 20, 1907 – December 21, 1999) was an American literary editor, film producer, and literary critic. He is best remembered for his work at the Knopf publishing house, where he edited B. Traven, Raymond Chandler, and Dashiell Hammett, and Langston Hughes.

Bernard Smith was born on September 20, 1907 in New York City. His father was a businessman and his mother was a housewife. He attended City University of New York.

In 1928, Smith began working for Alfred A. Knopf, where he was eventually made simultaneously editor-in-chief and managing editor. He became Traven's first American editor, and took a free hand in revising Traven's initially rough English.

In 1939, Smith published his Forces in American Criticism, a historical and critical survey of American literature and literary criticism from a Marxist perspective. Smith, though never a Communist Party member, was a committed Marxist; but the book was undogmatic and was well received in the mainstream literary academy, including favorable notice from critics such as Austin Warren. He collaborated with Malcolm Cowley while working for the New Republic in his early 20s.

Smith moved in 1947 to Hollywood, where he worked in the film industry, first for Samuel Goldwyn as a script editor. In 1950, he became an independent producer, producing such Hollywood films such as Elmer Gantry and How the West was Won. In 1963 he partnered as a producer with director John Ford, making films such as Cheyenne Autumn.

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