In 1936, Hall received his BA from
Bowdoin College in
Brunswick, Maine. In 1941, he received his Ph.D. in English from
Yale University. In 1942, he was chief of an Office of Strategic Services (OSS) censorship unit. He taught at several educational institutions, including
Deerfield Academy and Yale. In 1946, he retired as a US Navy Reserve lieutenant commander. From 1946 to 1986, he taught English at Bowdoin. In 1956, he was a Carnegie visiting professor at
Columbia University. From 1964, he was chairman of the Bowdoin Department of English. In 1986, he retired as Henry Leland Chapman professor. He was an active advocate of the arts in Maine. His short story
The Ledge won first place in the 1960
O. Henry Prize Collection, and has appeared in more than 30 anthologies. His novel
Stowaway received the 1962
William Faulkner Award for best debut novel. He contributed to several journals including
The Hudson Review. ==Published works==