Motley, Willard (Francis) (1912–1965)

US writer. While living in Chicago's slums, he wrote Knock on Any Door (1947), a naturalistic account of the degradation of a young boy. His subsequent novels were not as well-received, but his final novel, Let Noon Be Fair, published posthumously (1966), won critical praise. Although a black American, Motley said, ‘My race is the human race.’ He died of gangrene in Mexico City, Mexico, where he lived.

Born in Chicago and schooled in Chicago, he held a variety of jobs before becoming a writer, including ranch hand, cook, and interviewer for the Chicago Housing Authority.