Thomas Sugrue

Thomas Sugrue, novelist, poet, philosopher, and radio commentator, was also one of the ablest reporters of his time. To understand this complex man and the influences which molded him, a study was made of his work exclusive of his journalistic writings, which were not available locally. Since at present there is neither a complete bibliography of Sugrue's works, nor any complete biographical account of him, this paper attempts to bring together as much information as possible about his life and work. For early biographical information about Sugrue, the dreamer and doer, it relies heavily upon Stranger in the Earth, his autobiography which takes him up to the age of thirty when he was stricken with his crippling illness. For the remaining fifteen years, which were the most fruitful period of his writing career, the study contains materials collected from the usual biographical and bibliographical tools and from Sugrue's relatives and friends, notably his wife, Mary Margaret Ganey Sugrue, and his close friend, Hugh Lynn Cayce.