Josiah Greene was born in Duluth, Minnesota, on March 22, 1911, son of Warren Greene (Brown class of 1898), a lawyer who became a farmer and amateur writer when his health forced him to retire from the law and move back to Connecticut. One of three brothers, Greene graduated magna cum laude from Brown in 1933 and went to work as a bookkeeper on a dairy farm. He quit that job a few years later to become a full-time writer. In 1945, while a sergeant in the army, Greene wrote Not in Our Stars, for which he won the $2,500 MacMillan Centenary Award for the best manuscript by a member of the armed forces. He was married to Elizabeth Helen de Courcy (Pembroke class of 1931).
There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Josiah Greene papers, Ms. 2010.032, Brown University Library.
This collection includes correspondence; royalty records and records of publicity programs; reviews; and drafts of short stories and novels by Josiah Greene. Also included are manuscripts of short stories by his father Warren Greene, based on his experience as a trial lawyer.
The collection is arranged into three series by type of material.
Gift: 02/17/88, 88-2, Robert de Courcy