Sonia Greene
Encyclopedia
Sonia Haft Greene Lovecraft Davis (16 March 1883, Ichnia
- 26 December 1972) was a one-time pulp fiction writer and amateur publisher, a single mother, business woman and successful milliner who bankrolled several fanzines in the early twentieth century. She is perhaps best known for being president of the Amateur Press Association
, and her two-year marriage to American weird fiction
writer H. P. Lovecraft
.
, Ukraine
, Russian Empire
. Her father apparently died when she was a child, and her mother emigrated to the United States
, leaving Sonia and her brother in Liverpool
. Sonia joined her mother in America in 1892.
At the age of sixteen Sonia married Samuel Seckendorff, who was ten years older than her. She gave birth to a son in 1900, who died after three months. Her daughter, Florence Carol, was born on 19 March 1902. Seckendorff, a Russian, adopted the surname Greene, and according to Lovecraft's correspondent Alfred Galpin was "a man of brutal character". The marriage was turbulent, and Greene died in 1916, apparently by his own hand.
Sonia was independently middle class, unusual for women of that time. She worked as a milliner at a department store and traveled frequently for her job. Her salary allowed her to rent a nice house for herself and her daughter in the then-fancy area of Brooklyn
known as Flatbush
. It also allowed her to donate money to several amateur press publications, as well as to travel to amateur press conventions. She met Lovecraft at one such convention, having been introduced to the world of amateur journalism by Lovecraft's colleague James F. Morton in 1917.
After her marriage to Lovecraft ended, in 1933 Greene moved to California
. In 1936 she married a Dr Nathaniel Davis of Los Angeles. She did not hear of Lovecraft's death until eight years later, in 1945. Her marriage to Lovecraft was never legally ended because Lovecraft, although he assured her the divorce had been filed, failed to sign the final decree, so Greene's union with Davis was technically bigamous
. Greene was informed of this late in life and it disturbed her considerably.
Greene's best-known story is "The Invisible Monster," which was revised and edited by H.P. Lovecraft for publication in Weird Tales
(November, 1923).
Her daughter Florence became a successful journalist under the name of Carol Weld
. The two women had a tense relationship, and stopped speaking to each other. Greene does not mention her daughter in her autobiography.
From The Oracle:
Ichnia
Ichnia is a city in Chernihiv Oblast of Ukraine. Population is an estimated 12,780 ....
- 26 December 1972) was a one-time pulp fiction writer and amateur publisher, a single mother, business woman and successful milliner who bankrolled several fanzines in the early twentieth century. She is perhaps best known for being president of the Amateur Press Association
Amateur press association
An amateur press association is a group of people who produce individual pages or magazines that are sent to a Central Mailer for collation and distribution to all members of the group.-Organisation:...
, and her two-year marriage to American weird fiction
Weird fiction
Weird fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction written in the late 19th and early 20th century. It can be said to encompass the ghost story and other tales of the macabre. Weird fiction is distinguished from horror and fantasy in that it predates the niche marketing of genre fiction...
writer H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
.
Biography
Greene was born Sonia Haft Shafirkin in the town of IchniaIchnia
Ichnia is a city in Chernihiv Oblast of Ukraine. Population is an estimated 12,780 ....
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. Her father apparently died when she was a child, and her mother emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, leaving Sonia and her brother in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. Sonia joined her mother in America in 1892.
At the age of sixteen Sonia married Samuel Seckendorff, who was ten years older than her. She gave birth to a son in 1900, who died after three months. Her daughter, Florence Carol, was born on 19 March 1902. Seckendorff, a Russian, adopted the surname Greene, and according to Lovecraft's correspondent Alfred Galpin was "a man of brutal character". The marriage was turbulent, and Greene died in 1916, apparently by his own hand.
Sonia was independently middle class, unusual for women of that time. She worked as a milliner at a department store and traveled frequently for her job. Her salary allowed her to rent a nice house for herself and her daughter in the then-fancy area of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
known as Flatbush
Flatbush, Brooklyn
Flatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods.The name Flatbush is an Anglicization of the Dutch language Vlacke bos ....
. It also allowed her to donate money to several amateur press publications, as well as to travel to amateur press conventions. She met Lovecraft at one such convention, having been introduced to the world of amateur journalism by Lovecraft's colleague James F. Morton in 1917.
After her marriage to Lovecraft ended, in 1933 Greene moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. In 1936 she married a Dr Nathaniel Davis of Los Angeles. She did not hear of Lovecraft's death until eight years later, in 1945. Her marriage to Lovecraft was never legally ended because Lovecraft, although he assured her the divorce had been filed, failed to sign the final decree, so Greene's union with Davis was technically bigamous
Bigamy
In cultures that practice marital monogamy, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. Bigamy is a crime in most western countries, and when it occurs in this context often neither the first nor second spouse is aware of the other...
. Greene was informed of this late in life and it disturbed her considerably.
Greene's best-known story is "The Invisible Monster," which was revised and edited by H.P. Lovecraft for publication in Weird Tales
Weird Tales
Weird Tales is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine first published in March 1923. It ceased its original run in September 1954, after 279 issues, but has since been revived. The magazine was set up in Chicago by J. C. Henneberger, an ex-journalist with a taste for the macabre....
(November, 1923).
Her daughter Florence became a successful journalist under the name of Carol Weld
Carol Weld
Carol Weld was a journalist who collaborated with Frank Buck on one book, Animals are Like That.-Early life:...
. The two women had a tense relationship, and stopped speaking to each other. Greene does not mention her daughter in her autobiography.
Stories
- "The Horror at Martin's Beach". revised by H.P. Lovecraft and published as "The Invisible Monster" (in Weird Tales November, 1923)
- "Four O'Clock" (not published until 1949 in Something About Cats and Other PiecesSomething About Cats and Other PiecesSomething About Cats and Other Pieces is a collection of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories, poetry and essays by American author H. P. Lovecraft...
).
Essays/Editorials
From The Rainbow:- "Amateurdom and the Editor"
- "Recruiting"
- "Opinion"
- "Commercialism"
- "Amateur Aphorisms"
- "A Game of Chess"
- "Heins versus Houtain"
From The Oracle:
- "Fact vs. Opinion" (an editorial against censoring pornography)
Editor/Investor
- The Organ of the United Amateur Press Association (amateur publication/fanzine)
- The Rainbow (amateur publication/fanzine)
Sources
- The Private Life of H.P. Lovecraft, by Sonia Greene (Necronomicon PressNecronomicon PressNecronomicon Press is an American small press publishing house specialising in fiction, poetry and literary criticism relating to the horror and fantasy genres. It is run by Marc A. Michaud....
, 1985, 1992) (ISBN 0-318047-18-7) - H.P. Lovecraft: A Life, by S. T. JoshiS. T. JoshiSunand Tryambak Joshi — known as S. T. Joshi — is an award-winning Indian American literary critic, novelist, and a leading figure in the study of Howard Phillips Lovecraft and other authors of weird and fantastic fiction...
(Necronomicon Press, 1996) (ISBN 0-940884-88-7)