Alfred Damon Runyon (October 4, 1880 – December 10, 1946) was an American newspaperman and short-story writer.He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To New Yorkers of his generation, a "Damon Runyon character" evoked a distinctive social type from Brooklyn or Midtown Manhattan. The adjective "Runyonesque" refers to this type of character as well as to the type of situations and dialog that Runyon depicted. He spun humorous and sentimental tales of gamblers, hustlers, actors, and gangsters, few of whom go by "square" names, preferring instead colorful monikers such as "Nathan Detroit", "Benny Southstreet", "Big Jule", "Harry the Horse", "Good Time Charley", "Dave the Dude", or "The Seldom Seen Kid". His distinctive vernacular style is known as "Runyonese": a mixture of formal speech and colorful slang, almost always in present tense, and always devoid of contractions. He is credited with coining the phrase "Hooray Henry", a term now used in British English to describe the upper class version of a loud-mouthed, arrogant twit.
Runyon's fictional world is also known to the general public through the musical Guys and Dolls based on two of his stories, "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure". The musical additionally borrows characters and story elements from a few other Runyon stories, most notably "Pick The Winner". The film Little Miss Marker (and its three remakes, Sorrowful Jones, 40 Pounds of Trouble and the 1980 Little Miss Marker) grew from his short story of the same name.
Runyon was also a newspaper reporter, covering sports and general news for decades for various publications and syndicates owned by William Randolph Hearst. Already known for his fiction, he wrote a well-remembered "present tense" article on Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Presidential inauguration in 1933 for the Universal Service, a Hearst syndicate, which was merged with the co-owned International News Service in 1937.
Sol turns thousands of years of human wisdom from the world’s spiritual traditions into a totally unique personality profile. To get your own profile, check compatibility with friends and much more, download the Sol App today.
Some of their strengths
Damon Runyan has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Energetic, Intelligent, Imaginative, Practical, Diplomatic, Creative, and Generous.
Intelligent and Inquisitive
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Damon Runyan is someone who is an intelligent, inquisitive, and imaginative person, who is practical, considerate, kind, and diplomatic in dealings with others. A person who defines themself by their friends and what groups they belong to.
Soulful and Intuitive
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Damon Runyan well know them as someone who can be graceful, romantic, and reserved, like gentle rain.
Ambitious and Forceful
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Damon Runyan as someone who is ambitious, hard-working, determined, and intelligent.
A person who has a knack for identifying opportunities, has amazing concentration and focus, who can work independently, who likes starting new things, and who is somewhat of an intellectual.
Dynamic and Imaginative
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Damon Runyan is someone who can bring a purifying element to situations, and who is a risk-taker with vision and imagination.
They are also someone who is balanced, organized, and in-charge, and who loves traveling, working hard, and figuring out the patterns of things.
Justice-seeking and Peaceful
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Damon Runyan tends to be someone who loves peace and is ready to go to any costs to achieve it. Who has a taste for the good things in life, tends to be a good organizer, has a thirst for knowledge, and who tends to have the respect of friends and acquaintances.
Some of Damon Runyan's challenges
While Damon Runyan has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Damon Runyan can be Hesitant, Narcissistic, Impulsive, Careless, Relentless, Inflexible, and Demanding.
Hesitant and Narcissistic
One of Damon Runyan's key challenges is that they are someone who can be hesitant and narcissistic.
Damon Runyan must also exercise caution as they can be short-tempered and aggressive, and can be excessive and unrealistic.
Relentless and Inflexible
Damon Runyan is someone who can be relentless, obsessive, and inflexible, who can be confrontational with work colleagues, can have difficulty communicating feelings and be somewhat reclusive, and who can be self-destructive, overindulgent, and extravagant.
Pleasure-seeking and Indecisive
Finally, Damon Runyan also can put others first too much, and hem-and-haw too much when making a decision.