At age 30, Louis Bromfield won the Pulitzer Prize for his 1926 novel "Early Autumn." For many people, winning fiction's highest honor would prove their peak triumph in life. But Bromfield was just getting started.
After writing more bestselling books — cementing his reputation as one of America's most acclaimed novelists — he made a major career pivot. In 1938, he bought 600 barren acres of farmland in his native state of Ohio. This allowed him to indulge his longtime passion for farming.
By his late 40s, Bromfield (1896-1956) became nationally known for his innovative farming techniques. He turned those 600 acres, which he called Malabar Farm, into a showpiece of what he called the "New Agriculture."
He embraced soil conservation and other farming practices that are now widely accepted to boost crop output and protect the land. As a celebrated novelist, he used his fame to educate the public about sustainable farming.
"He had an all-encompassing curiosity," said Stephen Heyman, author of the Bromfield biography, "The Planter of Modern Life." "He had boundless interests and a zest for life that attracted people to him."
Be Open To New Ideas Like Louis Bromfield
Heyman attributes Bromfield's ability to thrive in both writing and farming to his openness to people and ideas. His receptivity to wide-ranging perspectives expanded his mindset.
"He didn't fall into cliques," Heyman said. "He didn't stay within one silo. The through line over his career was he loved talking to people and learning from them. He was not interested in artificial barriers."
Given his early fame as a writer, he remained remarkably grounded. His ego never interfered with his eagerness to listen, learn from others and admit when he was wrong.
He forged friendships with some of the most prominent literary figures of the 1920s, from Gertrude Stein to Edith Wharton. Bromfield won them over with his lively conversational skills, love of gardens and nonjudgmental personality.
"He was so sincere," said Anneliese Abbott, author of "Malabar Farm." "His success was in influencing people and spreading his ideas, which he did with such passion. He was all-in, never halfway."
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Bromfield: Live An Eventful Life
Bromfield, who died at 59, packed many lifetimes into his one eventful life. He fought in World War I and was briefly captured by the German army. He spent six years as a New York-based journalist before becoming a famous novelist in the 1920s.
In 1925, he moved to Paris and mixed with other colorful American expats such as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Then Hollywood came calling: He moved to Los Angeles in 1930 after movie mogul Sam Goldwyn agreed to pay him a hefty weekly salary to write for films.
During his year in Hollywood, he contributed to the script of what became a timeless classic, "Dracula" starring Bela Lugosi. He also befriended a then-unknown actor, Humphrey Bogart.
Their friendship proved valuable more than a decade later as Bogart's fame soared. The movie star visited Malabar Farm frequently and loved it.
Bogart married Lauren Bacall in 1945, and the glamorous couple chose Malabar Farm for their wedding site. The farm — and Bromfield himself — basked in the glowing media coverage.
"Now, practically every American knew the name of Malabar Farm," Heyman wrote.
See Ahead Of Your Time
Bromfield grew up with a deep affinity for farming. As a teenager, he worked on his grandfather's farm near Mansfield, Ohio.
The farm was in decline and Bromfield, then 18, spent a year trying in vain to revive it. The experience of hauling manure and packing apples stayed with him and set the stage for his later pursuits.
Bromfield came to lament how agriculture was becoming industrialized. As it turns out, he was decades ahead of his time in expressing his qualms about factory farming.
In his 1933 novel "The Farm," he describes how cows became "machines which never browsed like normal cows but were fed upon artificial foods." He adds that calves "no longer played and romped in pastures but were kept shut in corrals."
Free-range farming has gained popularity among today's consumers. Modern farms that let animals roam freely outdoors promote their approach and make it part of their brand.
"He was always experimenting," said Abbott, a sustainable agriculture researcher whose website covers the history of organic farming. "He didn't get stuck in his ways."
Bromfield also had the courage of his convictions. Unafraid to go against the grain, he often challenged conventional beliefs.
In 1951, for example, he testified before Congress about the dangers of a widely used synthetic pesticide called DDT. Its developer had won a Nobel Prize in 1948 and many people viewed DDT as a godsend like antibiotics or atomic energy (because it killed pests and helped eradicate insect-borne diseases).
But Bromfield wasn't a fan.
"Just weeks after DDT was released for civilian use in the fall of 1945 — and 17 years before Rachel Carson would publish her legendary indictment of it in 'Silent Spring' — Bromfield came out strongly against the chemical," Heyman wrote.
Again, he proved ahead of his time: In 1972, DDT was banned in the United States.
Enrapture Audiences With Stories
Bromfield understood the power of narrative. Through his novels, he learned to craft stories that captivated readers while arousing their emotions.
As he transitioned from novelist to what Heyman calls "the country's most famous farmer," he applied the same skills to educate people about soil conservation, grass farming and other land management methods to boost productivity.
"He was a great storyteller," Abbott said. "Everyone was spellbound listening to his lectures" about topics ranging from food policy to small-scale farming.
Despite his status as a celebrity novelist with famous friends, he connected with almost everyone. He wrote opinion pieces for popular magazines that struck a chord with readers.
"He communicated in a plainspoken way that resonated with folks from all walks of life," Heyman said.
Despite his strong opinions, Bromfield maintained an open mind. When disagreements arose with colleagues, he welcomed a spirited debate.
Soon after buying Malabar Farm, he hired a farm manager named Max Drake. They hashed out a plan for the farm — and then Bromfield left for Los Angeles to work on several film projects.
"When he came back to the farm, he was upset with Drake because things were being done differently," Abbott said. Drake had redesigned the fields, removed trees and bulldozed gullies.
"But as upset as Bromfield was, he was willing to listen to Drake," Abbott said. When Drake explained his strategy for reviving the farm and its soil, Bromfield's mood shifted from outrage to excited curiosity.
Instead of being fired, Drake wound up introducing Bromfield to fresh ideas about soil conservation.
While Bromfield never made much money from Malabar Farm, his innovative vision helped lay the groundwork for today's focus on sustainability and responsible stewardship of farmland.
"I take deep pleasure in going out every morning and seeing the miraculous changes which have happened, and which are happening, and which will go on happening until the end of our lives," he wrote.
Louis Bromfield's Keys:
- Pulitzer-Prize winning novelist and Hollywood screenwriter who bought an Ohio farm and helped revolutionize sustainable agriculture.
- Overcame: Initial outrage with unilateral changes his farm manager made that clashed with his ideals.
- Lesson: "As soils are depleted, human health, vitality and intelligence go with them."
