In addition to this body of fiction works, the versatile Beagle, who has only earned his living by his pen, has also compiled anthologies, written nonfiction works, and worked in television and film.
Born April 20, 1939, in New York City, Beagle grew up in a family that valued literature and books. Both his parents were public school teachers, and his father's experiences as a high school and junior high history instructor taught him the only way to hold a student's interest was to bring out the story behind the dry facts. A further literary legacy came from a grandfather who penned fantasy stories in Hebrew. Raised in the Bronx, Beagle became a dedicated reader at an early age, and by the time he reached sixth grade he had already declared his intent to be a writer. Attending the prestigious Bronx High School of Science, he contributed to the school literary magazine where his work attracted the attention of the fiction editor for Seventeen magazine.
With graduation approaching, Beagle submitted a poem and short story to the Scholastic Writing Awards contest. When his poem took first place, he won a scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh, where he studied creative writing, graduating in 1959.
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