Stuart M. Harris
Stuart Harris is a California native, has lived in Switzerland, England and now resides in New York, but this playwright turned novelist has some pretty strong ties to our little corner of the world.
Capt. Stuart is also the namesake for Stuart, Iowa and Harris’ great-great grandmother, Lois Gray, had the small town of Gray in Audubon County named after her family. It was his mother’s upbringing in Audubon County during the Great Depression and her desire for the rich Iowa farmland to remain in the family that was the inspiration for Harris’ first novel, “The Northeast Quarter.”
Her reasoning was that if another economic crisis hit, he would always have the land to see him through. This promise became the plotline for his book, where 10-year-old Ann Hardy promises her grandfather she will protect the prized portion of the family’s farm empire in Iowa. She then spends the next 12 years of her life doing just that. After three years of writing the novel and three years of editing, Harris said he was happy with the way the story that started out on the stage has expanded.
The story of Ann’s struggle to maintain her birthright in a fight against a nemesis who wrought fear in members of the small Iowa town of Winfield, as well as the entire county, features many characters drawn from Harris’ own life. Ann’s grandfather, Col. Carson, is drawn from the characteristics of Capt. Stuart and Ann’s eventual husband, Ben, bears a striking resemblance to Harris’ own father. But the protagonist, Ann, was created from the strong characteristics of his mother. Those attributes are actually the theme for this fictional account.
Harris is able to weave a compelling story, with some characters every bit as evil as Ann and her family are good, and to bring twists and turns at the conclusion that make Ann’s fight for what is right a paradoxical victory. The outcome is also a springboard to a very different future, not just for Ann and her family, but for women across the country. More details about “The Northeast Quarter,” Harris, his family and the memorabilia that is on display in Audubon can found below.
What are your ties to the Audubon area?
What about your family’s connection to Iowa, and Audubon in particular, led to the creation of the three-act play and then the novel?
It took six years to get “The Northeast Quarter Published.” Can you explain why the adaptation took so long?
What characters in the book are based on family members?
Is the character of Col. Carson based on a real-life relative?
Ann is based on the characteristics of your mother, but how doe these attributes also develop the theme of the story?
How then did you develop such an evil character in Royce Chamberlin?
Many pivotal points in the story occur around a specific date. What is the significance of the 4th of July?
Will we see Ann and Ben’s story continue in another novel?
What may Iowa readers notice about the liberties that were taken with geography?
What connection do you maintain with Audubon?
Please share details about artifacts from Capt. Stuart and other family members that are displayed in Audubon.
