Leonard Cline

Who was Leonard Cline?

Leonard Lanson Cline was an American novelist, poet, short story writer, and journalist.

Born in Bay City, Michigan, he attended the University of Michigan, was married in 1913, published his first book of poetry, Poems, in 1914 and worked for The Detroit News 1916-1922. In 1922 he took a position at the Baltimore Sun.

His writings appeared in a variety of magazines--The New Republic, The American Mercury, The Smart Set, The Nation and Scribner's Magazine. His journalist work appeared in the Baltimore Sun, The New York World, The Chicago Daily News, The New York Herald Tribune, and St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The Viking Press published his first novel, God Head in 1925. It deals with the Kalevala legends in a modern society. The critic Laurence Stallings wrote: "It is the most tempestuous novel of many seasons. It would be eminently fair to believe that Leonard Cline could write rings around a half dozen of our ten best novelists."

In 1926 he published the light-hearted Listen, Moon!, which deals with a professor assuming the role of a pirate along the Chesapeake.