Walter Lowenfels
Walter Lowenfels | |
---|---|
Born | New York, New York, U.S. | May 10, 1897
Died | July 7, 1976 Tarrytown, New York, U.S. | (aged 79)
Occupation |
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Period | 1925–1975 |
Walter Lowenfels (May 10, 1897 – July 7, 1976) was an American poet, journalist, and member of the Communist Party USA. He also edited the Pennsylvania Edition of The Worker, a weekend edition of the Communist-sponsored Daily Worker.
Early life
Lowenfels was born in
In 1926 he left the family business to hone his poetic craft in Europe, spending time in Florence and Paris. There he was exposed to the literary scene, meeting Henry Miller, T. S. Eliot, Ford Madox Ford, and other writers.
In 1930, while still in Paris, he co-founded Carrefour Press with Michael Fraenkel, which published the pamphlet Anonymous: The Need for Anonymity. The pamphlet was a manifesto declaring the need for anonymous publication in order to "avoid artistic competition and alienation."[2]
In 1931 he shared the
Carrefour later anonymously published Lowenfels' play USA with Music, but was forced to reveal the identity of the playwright in 1932 when it filed a plagiarism suit against composer George Gershwin. Thereafter, the publishing house attributed its publications to their authors, effectively ending the anonymity movement. He continued to write and publish his poetry, which showcased his leftist political views, as well as editing the poetry of others. He also became concerned about the rise of fascism in Germany and Italy.[3][4]
Return to the United States
Lowenfels returned to the United States in 1934, settling in the Mays Landing section of Hamilton Township, Atlantic County, New Jersey, and went back to work for his father. He continued to write poetry at night.[5] He wrote to Henry Miller about the transition from poet to businessperson: "I butter from nine to five and then I change into a butterfly and go ahead with poems."[6]
In 1938, he published Steel 1937, which began with an open letter to
In 1938, Lowenfels moved to
During the early years of this period, he only worked half time for the paper, supplementing his income by selling intercommunication devices door-to-door. He later worked full-time for The Daily Worker and the Pennsylvania Edition of The Worker, and his family's income depended heavily on his wife's public school teaching salary.
On Christmas Day, 1949, Lowenfels published an article in the Worker entitled "Santa Claus or Comrade X?," in which he mused about the "difficulties" of living with five women (his wife and four daughters) who spent their time washing, sewing and worrying about their clothes. The article was fiercely criticized by the paper's feminist readership, and the paper published several letters to the editor critical of the piece. Lowenfels' attempts to redeem himself in subsequent articles served only to anger his critics further, and the incident damaged his standing within the Party and the larger movement. The incident was examined as an example of efforts to confront male supremacy within progressive movements in a book by the historian Kate Weingard.[7]
In about 1951, Lowenfels suffered a heart attack, from which he recovered. He purchased a cabin in rural Weymouth Township, New Jersey, where he and his wife took up residence.[8]
Trial
At 2 a.m. on July 29, 1953, the
During the trial, the government never used his own writings as evidence against him. "[T]hey chose, rather, passages from
Later life
Following his release, Lowenfels stopped editing the Pennsylvania Worker and returned to writing poetry. He never suffered any repercussions from his community; he later wrote, "In our area, people seemed to put "overthrow the government" in the same category as moonshine or illegal deer."[11]
He became best known as an anthologist of
In total, he wrote more than two dozen books of poetry. He also wrote an autobiography, My Many Lives, the second half of which is published in The Portable Walter, an anthology of his writings.
Lowenfels died in Tarrytown, New York. His papers are housed in the special collections department of the Olin Library, the main library of the Washington University in St. Louis, and the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library of Yale University.
Bibliography
- Lowenfels, Walter (1930). Apollinaire: an Elegy. Hours Press.
- Lowenfels, Walter (1932). Elegy in the Manner of a Requiem in Memory of D.H. Lawrence. Paris: Carrefour. p. 33.
- Lowenfels, Walter (1925). Episodes & Epistles. Thomas Setzer.
- Wolfe, Humbert (1929). "prefatory note". Finale of Seem, a Lyrical Narrative. By Lowenfels, Walter. London: W. Heinemnan. p. 92.
- Lowenfels, Walter (1975). For Neruda, for Chile : an International Anthology (editor). Boston: Beacon Press. ISBN 0-8070-6382-7.
- Hernández, David (1973). "introductions". From the Belly of the Shark: a New Anthology of Native Americans; Poems by Chicanos, Eskimos, Hawaiians, Indians, Puerto Ricans in the U.S.A., with related poems by others. By Lowenfels, Walter (compiler). New York: Vintage Books. p. 352. ISBN 0-394-71836-4.
- Lowenfels, Walter (1969). In a Time of Revolution; Poems from our Third World. New York: Random House. p. 151.
- Lowenfels, Walter (1965). Land of Roseberries. drawings by David Alfaro Siqueiros. Mexico City: El Corno Emplumado. p. 139.
- Lowenfels, Walter; Howard McCord (1970). The life of Fraenkel's Death; a Biographical Inquest. Pullman, Washington: Washington State University Press. p. 92.
- Lowenfels, Walter (1964). Poets of Today; a New American Anthology. prologue poem by Langston Hughes. New York City: International Publishers. p. 143.
- Lowenfels, Walter (1974). Reality Prime; Pages from a Journal. Brooklyn: Cycle Press. p. 60. ISBN 0-914320-00-9.
- Lowenfels, Walter (1973). The Revolution Is to Be Human. New York City: International Publishers. p. 70. ISBN 0-7178-0395-3.
- Lowenfels, Walter (1964). Some Deaths : Selected Poems & Communications, 1925-1962. Highlands, North Carolina: Nantahala Foundation. p. 109.
- Lowenfels, Walter; Paul Eluard (1959). Song of Peace. Translated by Lowenfels. New York City: Roving Eye Press. p. 10.
- Lowenfels, Walter (1938). Steel, 1937. Atlantic City: Unity Publishers. p. 19.
- Lowenfels, Walter (1955). Sonnets of Love and Liberty. New York: Blue Herron Press. p. 63.
- Lowenfels, Walter (1934). The Suicide. Paris: Carrefour. p. 47.
- Lowenfels, Walter (1964). To an Imaginary Daughter. New York City: Horizon Press. p. 128.
- Lowenfels, Walter (1966). Translations from Scorpius. Monmouth, Maine: Poetry-Dimension Press. p. 28.
- Lowenfels, Walter (1930). U.S.A. with Music, an Operatic Tragedy. Paris: Carrefour. p. 120.
- Lowenfels, Walter (editor); co-edited by Nan Braymer (1967). Where is Vietnam? American poets respond; an anthology of contemporary poems. Garden City, New Jersey: Anchor Books. p. 160.
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References
- ^ a b "Biographical Note: Walter Lowenfels". Howard McCord Papers. University of Delaware Library. 2003-03-10. Retrieved 2007-06-22.
- ^ "Collection description". Walter Lowenfels, 1897-1976. American author and editor. Washington University in St. Louis. 2004-07-27. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
- ^ Lowenfels, Walter (1968). Gover, Robert (ed.). The portable Walter: From the prose and poetry of Walter Lowenfels. New York City: International Publishers.
- ^ Gover 1968, p. 13.
- ^ Gover 1968, p. 14.
- ^ Gover 1968, p. 15,chapter is My Many Lives, part II of Lowenfels autobiography.
- ISBN 0-8018-7111-5.
- ^ Guide to the Walter Lowenfels Papers YCAL MSS 367, Yale University Library. Accessed October 28, 2015. "The same year, his family moved to a cabin in Weymouth, New Jersey."
- ^ Lowenfels, Walter (1968). "On Trial". In Robert Gover (ed.). The Portable Walter. New York City: International Publishers. p. 35.
- ^ Lowenfels, Walter (1968). "On Trial". In Robert Gover (ed.). The Portable Walter. New York City: International Publishers. p. 41.
- ^ Lowenfels, Walter (1968). "On Trial". In Robert Gover (ed.). The Portable Walter. New York City: International Publishers. p. 36.
- ^ "Biographical Note". Finding-aid for the Walter Lowenfels Papers (WTU00074). Washington University in St. Louis. 2003. Retrieved 2007-06-20.
- ^ "Writers and Editors War Tax Protest". New York Post. 1968-01-30.
External links
- Walter Lowenfels Papers. Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
- "Walter Lowenfels, 1897-1976. American author and editor". Walter Lowenfels Papers. Washington University in St. Louis. 2004-07-17. Retrieved 2007-06-22.
- C, R (2006-04-08). "Walter Lowenfels - A Biography". Cosmodemonic Telegraph Company: A Henry Miller Blog. blogger.com. Retrieved 2007-06-22.
- "Biographical Note: Walter Lowenfels". Howard McCord Papers. University of Delaware Library. 2003-03-10. Retrieved 2007-06-22.
- Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, Emory University: Will Inman and Walter Lowenfels correspondence,1954-1975