Author of: A Practical Guide to Creative Senility
Donovan Bess was born in Iowa in 1909. He was a P.K. (preacher's kid), the son of a Presbyterian minister. As a P.K., he rebelled against conventions.
He wrote two novels before he reached the age of 25, and burned them. In 1942, he joined the editorial staff of The San Francisco Chronicle, and eventually became the newspaper's human potential editor.
After four years with United Press and Reuters in London, he returned in 1956 to The Chronicle and later covered the psychedelic scene in San Francisco, particularly the doings of Ken Kesey. In 1970, he became the social sciences reporter and pried many surprises from psychologists, anthropologists, and sociologists, writing articles for Harpers, The Nation, Rolling Stone, and other magazines.
In 1974 he withdrew from The Chronicle and later lived in London. Donovan Bess passed away in Luxor, Egypt, in 1990.