Barbara Newhall Follett
A literary comet who published her first novel at twelve before vanishing into mystery at twenty-five, leaving behind a haunting legacy of lost genius.
1914–1939 (age 25)·American author (born 1914, disappeared 1939)·Birthday: March 4·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Barbara Newhall Follett was a child of the written word, homeschooled by a mother who encouraged her voracious imagination. By age eight, she was touch-typing stories on her father's typewriter. Her first novel, 'The House Without Windows,' a luminous escape fantasy written when she was nine, was published to astonished reviews in 1927. At fourteen, her seafaring adventure 'The Voyage of the Norman D.' cemented her status as a genuine literary talent, not merely a curiosity. Yet her personal world fractured with her parents' divorce and the Great Depression, which wiped out her trust fund. Struggling with the transition to adulthood and a strained marriage, she walked out of her Brookline, Massachusetts apartment in December 1939 after an argument, carrying only thirty dollars. She was never seen again, her disappearance an enduring enigma that casts a poignant shadow over her brief, brilliant blaze of creativity.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Barbara was born in 1914, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Barbara Was Born
The biggest hits of 1914
Barbara's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1914Born
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1919Started school
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1927Became a teenager
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1930Could drive
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1932Could vote
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1935Turned 21
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1939Died at 25
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
Key Achievements
- Published her first novel, 'The House Without Windows,' at the age of twelve in 1927.
- Wrote and published her second novel, 'The Voyage of the Norman D.,' to critical praise when she was only fourteen.
- Her work experienced a significant revival in the late 20th century, finding a new audience fascinated by her story.
- Her manuscripts and letters are preserved in collections at Columbia University and the University of New Hampshire.
Did You Know?
She taught herself to type at age four by mimicking her father, a literary editor.
Her mother, Helen Follett, later wrote a book about her daughter's life and disappearance titled 'The Lost Genius.'
The original manuscript for 'The House Without Windows' was destroyed in a house fire, and she rewrote it entirely from memory.
She worked as a secretary in New York and later in a factory to support herself as a young adult.
“The house without windows is a place I know very well.”
