Edgar Lee Masters facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Edgar Lee Masters
Masters as a young man
Born	(1868-08-23)August 23, 1868 Garnett, Kansas, U.S.
Died	March 5, 1950(1950-03-05) (aged 81) Melrose Park, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Resting place	Oakland cemetery, Petersburg, Illinois
Occupation	Poet biographer lawyer
Language	English
Nationality	American
Notable awards	Robert Frost Medal (1942)

Edgar Lee Masters (born August 23, 1868 – died March 5, 1950) was an American writer. He was a lawyer, but he is best known for his poetry, biographies, and plays.

His most famous work is Spoon River Anthology. He also wrote many other books, including The New Star Chamber and Other Essays, Songs and Satires, and Illinois Poems. In total, Masters published many plays, poetry books, novels, and biographies. He wrote about famous people like Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, and Walt Whitman.

Life and Early Career

Edgar Lee Masters was born in Garnett, Kansas. His father, Hardin Wallace Masters, was a lawyer. The family soon moved back to a farm near Petersburg, Illinois. In 1880, they moved to Lewistown, Illinois.

Edgar went to high school in Lewistown. He even had his first writing published in the Chicago Daily News. The town of Lewistown, its cemetery, and the nearby Spoon River were very important to him. They inspired many of his writings. His most famous book, Spoon River Anthology, was especially inspired by these places.

He went to Knox Academy in 1889. This was a program connected to Knox College. However, he had to leave because his family could not afford to pay for his education.

After working in his father's law office, he became a lawyer in Illinois. He then moved to Chicago. There, he started his own law firm in 1893. He was married twice. In 1898, he married Helen M. Jenkins and they had three children. For a few years, he worked with another lawyer, Clarence Darrow. During this time, Masters often helped people who were poor.

Two of his children also became writers. His daughter, Marcia Masters, wrote poetry. His son, Hilary Masters, became a novelist. Hilary and his half-brother Hardin later wrote a book about their father.

Edgar Lee Masters passed away on March 5, 1950, in Melrose Park, Pennsylvania. He was 81 years old. He is buried in Oakland cemetery in Petersburg, Illinois. His gravestone has a line from one of his poems.

His Poetry Works

Edgar Lee Masters first published his early poems and essays under a different name. He used the name Dexter Wallace until 1903.

He became a well-known American poet in 1914. At this time, he started writing a series of poems about his childhood in Western Illinois. He used another pen name, Webster Ford, for these poems. They appeared in a magazine called Reedy's Mirror.

In 1915, these poems were put together into a book. It was called Spoon River Anthology. This book became very famous and important. Years later, Masters wrote about how he created the book. He also shared how people reacted to it.

Even though Spoon River Anthology was his biggest success, he published many other poetry books. Some of these include Book of Verses (1898), Songs and Sonnets (1910), The Great Valley (1916), and The New Spoon River (1924). He continued to write and publish poetry throughout his life.

Notable Books and Plays

Edgar Lee Masters wrote many different kinds of books. Here are some of his important works:

Poetry Collections

Biographies and Other Books

Edgar Lee Masters also wrote biographies, which are life stories of real people. He wrote about:

• Lincoln: The Man (1931)
• Vachel Lindsay: A Poet in America (1935)
• Whitman (1937)
• Mark Twain: A Portrait (1938)
• Across Spoon River: An Autobiography (1936) - This was his own life story.

He also wrote novels and plays:

Awards and Honors

Postal stamp, issued August 22, 1970

Edgar Lee Masters received several important awards for his writing.

• In 1936, he was given the Mark Twain Silver Medal.
• He received the Poetry Society of America medal in 1941.
• In 1942, he earned the Academy of American Poets Fellowship.
• He was also given the Shelly Memorial Award in 1944.
• In 2014, he was honored by being added to the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame.

See also

In Spanish: Edgar Lee Masters para niños