Philip A. Sadler wrote in the
Dictionary of Literary Biography that Farley was viewed as "a leader in the field of books about horses, sharing his popularity possibly only with Marguerite Henry and Lynn Hall." And
Atlantic contributor Martha Bacon noted that Farley's horse, affectionately known as "the Black," continues to capture readers' imaginations "in the satisfactory tradition of Black Beauty." Even though librarians and critics have at times ignored the books or criticized them as improbable and melodramatic, Farley's novels have inspired generations of young readers, introducing them to the joys of reading. "My great love was, and still is, horses," Farley reported in an interview reprinted in the
Los Angeles Times the year before he died of a heart attack in Florida. "I wanted a pony as much as any boy or girl could possibly want anything, but I never owned one." A city boy, Farley wrote his dreams into reality, ultimately earning enough from his books to buy and stock his own stud farm.
A City Kid
Born in Syracuse, New York, in 1915, Farley spent most of his youth in that city.
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