A NOTE ON THE AUTHOR OF
MESSER MARCO POLO
So Celtic in feeling and atmosphere are the stories of Donn Byrne that
many of his devotees have come to believe that he never lived anywhere
but in Ireland. Actually, Donn Byrne was born in New York City. Shortly
after his birth, however, his parents took him back to the land of his
forefathers. There he was educated and came to know the people of
whom he wrote so magically. At Dublin University his love for the Irish
language and for a good fight won him many prizes, first as a writer in
Gaelic and second as the University\'s lightweight boxing champion.
After continuing his studies at the Sorbonne and the University of Leipzig,
he returned to the United States, where, in 1911, he married and
established a home in Brooklyn Heights. He earned his living, while
trying to write short stories, as an editor of dictionaries. Soon his tales
began to attract attention and he added to his collection of boxing prizes
many others won in short-story contests. When MESSER MARCO
POLO appeared in 1921 his reputation in the literary world was firmly
established. Thereafter, whatever he wrote was hailed enthusiastically by
his ever-growing public, until 1928, when his tragic death in an
automobile accident cut short the career of one of America\'s best-loved
story-tellers.