Marguerite Young
Encyclopedia
Marguerite Vivian Young was an American
author of poetry
, fiction
, non-fiction
, and criticism
. Her work evinced an interest in social issues and environmentalism
.
She was born in Indianapolis
, Indiana
, and raised by her maternal grandmother, who nurtured her love of literature. Young studied at Butler University
in Indianapolis, receiving a BA in English and French. She then attended the University of Chicago
, visiting Thornton Wilder
's writing class and earning her MA in Epic and Elizabethan and Jacobean Literature.
Her first book of poetry was published in 1937, while she was teaching high-school English in Indianapolis. In that same year, she visited the utopia
n commune of New Harmony, Indiana
, where her mother and stepfather resided. She relocated to New Harmony and spent seven years there, beginning work on Angel in the Forest, a study of utopian concepts and communities.
That book appeared in 1945 and was well-received: It won the Guggenheim
and Newberry Library
awards. Over the next fifty years, while maintaining an address in New York's Greenwich Village, she traveled extensively and collaborated with other authors, including Anaïs Nin
, writing articles, poetry, and book reviews for numerous magazines and newspapers. She also taught writing at a number of venues, including the New School for Social Research and Fordham
University.
At the time of her death, her massive and idiosyncratic work on the life and times of Eugene V. Debs
, Harp Song for a Radical, on which she'd labored for more than thirty years, remained unfinished. An abbreviated and heavily edited version of that work-in-progress was published in 1999 by the Alfred A. Knopf
publishing group.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author of poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
, non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
, and criticism
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
. Her work evinced an interest in social issues and environmentalism
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
.
She was born in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, and raised by her maternal grandmother, who nurtured her love of literature. Young studied at Butler University
Butler University
Butler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university offers 60 degree programs to 4,400 students through six colleges: business, communication, education, liberal Arts and sciences, pharmacy and health...
in Indianapolis, receiving a BA in English and French. She then attended the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, visiting Thornton Wilder
Thornton Wilder
Thornton Niven Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. He received three Pulitzer Prizes, one for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and two for his plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth, and a National Book Award for his novel The Eighth Day.-Early years:Wilder was born in Madison,...
's writing class and earning her MA in Epic and Elizabethan and Jacobean Literature.
Her first book of poetry was published in 1937, while she was teaching high-school English in Indianapolis. In that same year, she visited the utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
n commune of New Harmony, Indiana
New Harmony, Indiana
New Harmony is a historic town on the Wabash River in Harmony Township, Posey County, Indiana, United States. It lies north of Mount Vernon, the county seat. The population was 916 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Evansville metropolitan area. Many of the old Harmonist buildings still stand...
, where her mother and stepfather resided. She relocated to New Harmony and spent seven years there, beginning work on Angel in the Forest, a study of utopian concepts and communities.
That book appeared in 1945 and was well-received: It won the Guggenheim
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
and Newberry Library
Newberry Library
The Newberry Library is a privately endowed, independent research library for the humanities and social sciences in Chicago, Illinois. Although it is private, non-circulating library, the Newberry Library is free and open to the public...
awards. Over the next fifty years, while maintaining an address in New York's Greenwich Village, she traveled extensively and collaborated with other authors, including Anaïs Nin
Anaïs Nin
Anaïs Nin was a French-Cuban author, based at first in France and later in the United States, who published her journals, which span more than 60 years, beginning when she was 11 years old and ending shortly before her death, her erotic literature, and short stories...
, writing articles, poetry, and book reviews for numerous magazines and newspapers. She also taught writing at a number of venues, including the New School for Social Research and Fordham
Fordham
Fordham may refer to:In business:*Fordham Brewing Company, a brewing company based in Dover, Delaware*Fordham Company, a real estate development firm based in Chicago, IllinoisIn education:...
University.
At the time of her death, her massive and idiosyncratic work on the life and times of Eugene V. Debs
Eugene V. Debs
Eugene Victor Debs was an American union leader, one of the founding members of the International Labor Union and the Industrial Workers of the World , and several times the candidate of the Socialist Party of America for President of the United States...
, Harp Song for a Radical, on which she'd labored for more than thirty years, remained unfinished. An abbreviated and heavily edited version of that work-in-progress was published in 1999 by the Alfred A. Knopf
Alfred A. Knopf
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. is a New York publishing house, founded by Alfred A. Knopf, Sr. in 1915. It was acquired by Random House in 1960 and is now part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group at Random House. The publishing house is known for its borzoi trademark , which was designed by co-founder...
publishing group.
List of works
- Prismatic Ground (1937)
- Moderate Fable (1944)
- Angel in the Forest: A Fairy Tale of Two Utopias (1945)
- Miss Macintosh, My Darling (1965)
- Harp Song for a Radical: The Life and Times of Eugene Victor Debs (1999)