Runyon, Damon (1884-1946), was an American short-story writer and journalist. His best-known stories deal with colorful gamblers, chorus girls, and various characters who live on the fringes of the criminal world in the Broadway district of New York City. Runyon wrote these stories in a distinctive style that was noted for its use of wisecracks and slang. The popular musical comedy Guys and Dolls (1950) is based on the Runyon tale “The Idyll of Sarah Brown” and on characters from other Runyon stories.
Runyon’s full name was Alfred Damon Runyon. He was born on Oct. 4, 1884, in Manhattan, Kansas. In 1911, he began working as a sports reporter for the New York American. Runyon soon became the highest paid sportswriter of his time. He based many stories on his experiences in the sports world. Throughout his newspaper career, Runyon wrote short stories for magazines. These stories were published in a number of collections, beginning with Guys and Dolls (1931). He died on Dec. 10, 1946.
