Joyce Sparer Adler
Encyclopedia
Joyce Sparer Adler was an American
critic
, playwright
, and teacher
. She was a founding member of the faculty of the University of Guyana
, writer of important critical analyses of Wilson Harris
and Herman Melville
, and 1988 president of the Melville Society.
, the daughter of Louis and Lillian (Solomon) Lifshutz. She received a B.A. cum laude from Brooklyn College
in 1935, and an M.A. in 1951. Her first marriage, to Max Sparer, ended in divorce. She had two daughters, Ellen and Laura.
She was an English teacher in the New York City public school system, and an active member of the teachers' union
. She resigned from her teaching position in 1954. She held a number of jobs during the 1950s, including writing television
screenplays and editing for the journal Blood
.
In 1963 she traveled to Georgetown, Guyana
as a member of a small group recruited to conduct seminars for teachers in the colony
of British Guiana
, after which she was invited by Premier Cheddi Jagan
to return and be a founding member of the University of Guyana. She stayed for five years, during which time she was actively involved in the political events that led to the independence
of Guyana
from Great Britain
. She was a friend of many Guyanese political figures, including Cheddi Jagan and Janet Jagan
who each later served as President.
While in Guyana, she wrote the study Attitudes Towards 'Race' in Guyanese Literature (San Juan: University of Puerto Rico, 1968). She became especially involved with the work of Guyanese author Wilson Harris, becoming one of the leading international authorities on his work. In 1997 she served as guest editor of a special issue of The Review of Contemporary Fiction devoted to Harris. Adler's many writings about Harris, originally published in a variety of journals, were published posthumously as the book Exploring the Palace of the Peacock: Essays on Wilson Harris (Kingston: University of the West Indies Press, 2003). ISBN 976-640-140-3).
In 1968, she returned to the United States after marrying mathematician
and author Irving Adler
. She lived in Shaftsbury, Vermont
for the remainder of her life, raising three of her grandchildren after the death of her daughter Ellen in 1975.
Shortly after coming to Vermont
she began work on her book War in Melville's Imagination (New York: New York University Press, 1981. ISBN 0-8147-0575-8).
She adapted three Melville novels as plays, published as the book Dramatizations of Three Melville Novels, with an Introduction on Interpretation by Dramatization (Edwin Mellen Press, 1992. ISBN 0-7734-9443-X). Her play Melville, Billy and Mars, a dramatization of Billy Budd, premiered at the University of Kansas
in 1995. Her dramatization of Moby-Dick
received its first dramatic reading in Kahului, Hawaii at an international meeting of the Melville Society in 2003. Her Benito Cereno
was first staged at the New Bedford Whaling Museum
in New Bedford, Massachusetts
in 2005.
Adler traveled extensively, speaking at conferences and universities around the world, including Australia
, Belgium
, China
, Hong Kong
, India
, Japan
, Malaysia, New Zealand
, and Singapore
.
In addition to her professional work, Adler was a committed social activist who engaged in many peace
and civil rights
movements throughout her life.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, and teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
. She was a founding member of the faculty of the University of Guyana
University of Guyana
The University of Guyana, in Georgetown, Guyana is a public university established in 1963 by the Guyanese government.-History:Cheddi Jagan, then Premier of British Guiana considered that the University of the West Indies, to which his government had contributed since 1948, was not meeting the...
, writer of important critical analyses of Wilson Harris
Wilson Harris
Sir Theodore Wilson Harris is a Guyanese writer. He initially wrote poetry, but has since become a well-known novelist and essayist. His writing style is often said to be abstract and densely metaphorical, and his subject matter wide-ranging.Wilson Harris was born in New Amsterdam in what was then...
and Herman Melville
Herman Melville
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....
, and 1988 president of the Melville Society.
Biography
Joyce Sparer Adler was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the daughter of Louis and Lillian (Solomon) Lifshutz. She received a B.A. cum laude from Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
in 1935, and an M.A. in 1951. Her first marriage, to Max Sparer, ended in divorce. She had two daughters, Ellen and Laura.
She was an English teacher in the New York City public school system, and an active member of the teachers' union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
. She resigned from her teaching position in 1954. She held a number of jobs during the 1950s, including writing television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
screenplays and editing for the journal Blood
Blood (journal)
Blood is a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Society of Hematology. Founded by William Dameshek in 1946, the journal changed from semimonthly to weekly publication at the start of 2009. The journal publishes clinical and basic scientific research in all areas of hematology.It...
.
In 1963 she traveled to Georgetown, Guyana
Georgetown, Guyana
Georgetown, estimated population 239,227 , is the capital and largest city of Guyana, located in the Demerara-Mahaica region. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and it was nicknamed 'Garden City of the Caribbean.' Georgetown is located at . The city serves...
as a member of a small group recruited to conduct seminars for teachers in the colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
of British Guiana
British Guiana
British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
, after which she was invited by Premier Cheddi Jagan
Cheddi Jagan
Cheddi Berret Jagan was a Guyanese politician who was first elected Chief Minister in 1953 and later Premier of British Guiana from 1961 to 1964, prior to independence. He later served as President of Guyana from 1992 to 1997.- Biography :The son of ethnic Indian sugar plantation workers, Jagan...
to return and be a founding member of the University of Guyana. She stayed for five years, during which time she was actively involved in the political events that led to the independence
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
of Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
from Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. She was a friend of many Guyanese political figures, including Cheddi Jagan and Janet Jagan
Janet Jagan
Janet Jagan was an American-born socialist politician who was President of Guyana from December 19, 1997, to August 11, 1999. She previously served as Prime Minister of Guyana from March 17, 1997, to December 19, 1997....
who each later served as President.
While in Guyana, she wrote the study Attitudes Towards 'Race' in Guyanese Literature (San Juan: University of Puerto Rico, 1968). She became especially involved with the work of Guyanese author Wilson Harris, becoming one of the leading international authorities on his work. In 1997 she served as guest editor of a special issue of The Review of Contemporary Fiction devoted to Harris. Adler's many writings about Harris, originally published in a variety of journals, were published posthumously as the book Exploring the Palace of the Peacock: Essays on Wilson Harris (Kingston: University of the West Indies Press, 2003). ISBN 976-640-140-3).
In 1968, she returned to the United States after marrying mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and author Irving Adler
Irving Adler
Irving Adler is an author, mathematician, scientist, and educator. He is the author of 56 books about mathematics, science, and education, and the co-author of 30 more, for both children and adults. His books have been published in 31 countries in 19 different languages...
. She lived in Shaftsbury, Vermont
Shaftsbury, Vermont
Shaftsbury is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,767 at the 2000 census. The town was chartered on August 20, 1761...
for the remainder of her life, raising three of her grandchildren after the death of her daughter Ellen in 1975.
Shortly after coming to Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
she began work on her book War in Melville's Imagination (New York: New York University Press, 1981. ISBN 0-8147-0575-8).
She adapted three Melville novels as plays, published as the book Dramatizations of Three Melville Novels, with an Introduction on Interpretation by Dramatization (Edwin Mellen Press, 1992. ISBN 0-7734-9443-X). Her play Melville, Billy and Mars, a dramatization of Billy Budd, premiered at the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
in 1995. Her dramatization of Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, was written by American author Herman Melville and first published in 1851. It is considered by some to be a Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature. The story tells the adventures of wandering sailor Ishmael, and his voyage on the whaleship Pequod,...
received its first dramatic reading in Kahului, Hawaii at an international meeting of the Melville Society in 2003. Her Benito Cereno
Benito Cereno
Benito Cereno is a novella by Herman Melville. It was first serialized in Putnam's Monthly in 1855 and later included in slightly revised version in his collection The Piazza Tales .-Plot summary:...
was first staged at the New Bedford Whaling Museum
New Bedford Whaling Museum
The New Bedford Whaling Museum is located in New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA. The museum, through its collections and exhibitions, tells the story of the international whaling industry and the history more generally of the "Old Dartmouth" area, the Southcoast of Massachusetts...
in New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about east of Fall River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts...
in 2005.
Adler traveled extensively, speaking at conferences and universities around the world, including Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Malaysia, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
In addition to her professional work, Adler was a committed social activist who engaged in many peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
and civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
movements throughout her life.
Sources
- Joyce Sparer Adler (obituary), Bennington BannerBennington BannerThe Bennington Banner is a daily newspaper published in Bennington, Vermont. Established in 1841, the paper covers local, national, and world news. The Bennington Banner sells 7,800 papers daily with a penetration of 65% in Bennington. It is distributed throughout Southwestern Vermont and eastern...
, 9/15/1999 - Who's Who in the World, 7th Edition, Marquis, Chicago, 1984. ISBN 0-8379-1107-9