Percy Marks

Percy Marks was born in 1891 in Covina, California, and pursued a career in education before turning to fiction. He taught English at several universities, including the University of California and Brown University, experiences that deeply informed his writing. His most famous novel, "The Plastic Age" (1924), became a controversial bestseller for its frank depiction of student life, including drinking, casual sex, and the clash between traditional values and modern freedoms. The novel was adapted into a successful silent film in 1925. Marks wrote several other novels, such as "A Tree Grown Straight" (1929) and "The Unwilling God" (1930), but none matched the impact of his debut. His literary legacy rests on his candid portrayal of youth culture during a transformative era in American society, capturing the disillusionment and rebellion that followed World War I.