Joseph Wood Krutch
Encyclopedia
Joseph Wood Krutch (November 25, 1893 – May 22, 1970) was an American
writer, critic, and naturalist.
Born in Knoxville, Tennessee
, he initially studied at the University of Tennessee
and received a masters degree and Ph.D.
from Columbia University
. After serving in the army in 1918, he travelled in Europe
for a year with friend Mark Van Doren
. Afterwards, he worked as teacher at Brooklyn Polytechnic.
He became a theater critic for The Nation
and wrote several books, gaining acclaim through a work critical of the impact of science and technology, The Modern Temper (1929). He also wrote biographies of Samuel Johnson
and Henry David Thoreau
in the 1940s, altogether completing a dozen volumes of literary biography and theatrical history. Throughout his life he wrote thirty-five books altogether.
He worked as a professor at Columbia University
from 1937 to 1953.
Moving to Arizona
in 1952, he wrote books about natural issues of ecology
, the southwestern desert
environment, and the natural history of the Grand Canyon
, winning renown as a naturalist and conservationist. These writings expressed a yearning for a simpler, more contemplative life. "If you drive a car at 70 m.p.h. , you can't do anything but keep the monster under control," he expressed.
He died in Tucson at age 76 from colon cancer in 1970. One of the last interviews with Krutch before his death was conducted by Edward Abbey
and appears in Abbey's 1988 book One Life at a Time, Please (ISBN 0-8050-0603-6).
Many of Krutch's manuscripts and typescripts are held by the University of Arizona
, where the Joseph Wood Krutch Cactus Garden was named in his honor in 1980.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer, critic, and naturalist.
Born in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, he initially studied at the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
and received a masters degree and Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. After serving in the army in 1918, he travelled in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for a year with friend Mark Van Doren
Mark Van Doren
Mark Van Doren was an American poet, writer and a critic, apart from being a scholar and a professor of English at Columbia University for nearly 40 years, where he inspired a generation of influential writers and thinkers including Thomas Merton, Robert Lax, John Berryman, and Beat Generation...
. Afterwards, he worked as teacher at Brooklyn Polytechnic.
He became a theater critic for The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
and wrote several books, gaining acclaim through a work critical of the impact of science and technology, The Modern Temper (1929). He also wrote biographies of Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
and Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist...
in the 1940s, altogether completing a dozen volumes of literary biography and theatrical history. Throughout his life he wrote thirty-five books altogether.
He worked as a professor at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
from 1937 to 1953.
Moving to Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
in 1952, he wrote books about natural issues of ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
, the southwestern desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
environment, and the natural history of the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
, winning renown as a naturalist and conservationist. These writings expressed a yearning for a simpler, more contemplative life. "If you drive a car at 70 m.p.h. , you can't do anything but keep the monster under control," he expressed.
He died in Tucson at age 76 from colon cancer in 1970. One of the last interviews with Krutch before his death was conducted by Edward Abbey
Edward Abbey
Edward Paul Abbey was an American author and essayist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues, criticism of public land policies, and anarchist political views. His best-known works include the novel The Monkey Wrench Gang, which has been cited as an inspiration by radical environmental...
and appears in Abbey's 1988 book One Life at a Time, Please (ISBN 0-8050-0603-6).
Many of Krutch's manuscripts and typescripts are held by the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
, where the Joseph Wood Krutch Cactus Garden was named in his honor in 1980.
Works
- Edgar Allan Poe: A Study in Genius (1926)
- The Modern Temper (1929)
- Samuel Johnson (1944)
- Henry David Thoreau (1948)
- The Twelve Seasons (1949)
- The Desert Year (1951)
- The Best of Two Worlds (1953)
- The Measure of Man (1954)
- The Voice of the Desert (1954)
- The Great Chain of Life (1956)
- The Grand Canyon: Today and All Its Yesterdays (1957)
- "The sportsman or the predator? A damnable pleasure" The Saturday Review (17 August 1957): 8-10, 39-40. Concerning "killing for sport."
- Human Nature and the Human Condition (1959)
- The Forgotten Peninsula (1961)
- The World of Animals; A treasury of lore and literature by great writers and naturalists from the 5th century B.C. to the present (1961)
- More Lives Than One (1962)
- And Even If You Do; Essays on Man, Manners and Machines (1967)
- The Best Nature Writing of Joseph Wood Krutch (anthology, University of Utah Press, 1995; ISBN 0-87480-480-9)