Edmund Wilson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Edmund Wilson
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Wilson in 1936
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| Born | Edmund Wilson Jr. May 8, 1895 Red Bank, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | June 12, 1972 (aged 77) Talcottville, New York, U.S. |
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| Alma mater | Princeton University |
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Edmund Wilson Jr. (May 8, 1895 – June 12, 1972) was a very important American writer, literary critic (someone who reviews books and literature), and journalist. Many people consider him one of the most important literary critics of the 1900s.
Wilson started his career as a journalist. He wrote for popular magazines like Vanity Fair and The New Yorker. He also helped edit The New Republic and was the main book critic for The New Yorker. He wrote more than twenty books, including Axel's Castle and Patriotic Gore. He was friends with many famous writers of his time, like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. After his death, his idea for a "Library of America" series, which collects classic American books, came true. He won the National Book Award twice and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964.
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Early Life and Education
Edmund Wilson was born in Red Bank, New Jersey. His father, Edmund Wilson Sr., was a lawyer. Wilson went to The Hill School, a boarding school, and finished in 1912. While there, he was the editor of the school's literary magazine.
From 1912 to 1916, he studied at Princeton University. His friends at Princeton included the famous writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. After college, Wilson worked as a reporter for the New York Sun. He also served in the army as a translator during World War I. His family's summer home in Talcottville, New York, is now a historic landmark.
Writing Career and Influence
Wilson was a managing editor for Vanity Fair in the early 1920s. He also worked as an editor for The New Republic and reviewed books for The New Yorker. His writings had a big impact on many novelists, including Upton Sinclair and John Dos Passos.
Even though he wrote plays, poems, and novels, his biggest impact was in literary criticism. This means he wrote thoughtful reviews and analyses of other people's books.
Key Works and Ideas
- Axel's Castle: A Study in the Imaginative Literature of 1870–1930 (1931) was a major book where he explored a style of writing called Symbolism. He wrote about famous authors like James Joyce and T. S. Eliot.
- In 1932, Wilson supported the Communist Party USA's candidate for president. However, he never said he was a communist himself.
- In his book To the Finland Station (1940), Wilson looked at the history of socialism in Europe. He traced ideas from early thinkers to the 1917 Russian Revolution.
Wilson was also known for his strong opinions on other writers. He didn't like the horror stories of H. P. Lovecraft, calling them "hackwork" (meaning poorly done). He also famously criticized J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, calling it "juvenile trash."
In 1964, Wilson received the Edward MacDowell Medal for his great contributions to American culture. Ten years after he passed away, his idea for The Library of America series, which publishes classic U.S. literature, finally started. His own writings were included in this series in 2007.
Friends and Connections
Wilson's critical writings helped many people appreciate authors like Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. He also helped change how people viewed the works of classic writers like Charles Dickens and Rudyard Kipling.
He was good friends with F. Scott Fitzgerald from their time at Princeton. Fitzgerald once called Wilson his "intellectual conscience." After Fitzgerald died young, Wilson helped edit two of his books to be published. Wilson was also friends with Vladimir Nabokov, another famous writer. They wrote many letters to each other, and Wilson helped introduce Nabokov's work to readers in the Western world. However, their friendship later had problems because Wilson publicly criticized Nabokov's translation of a Russian poem.
Wilson was married four times.
- His first wife was Mary Blair. They had a daughter named Rosalind.
- His second wife was Margaret Canby. She passed away two years after they married.
- From 1938 to 1946, he was married to Mary McCarthy, who was also a well-known literary critic. They worked together on many projects and had a son named Reuel.
- His fourth wife was Elena Mumm Thornton. They had a daughter named Helen.
Views on the Cold War
Wilson was very open about his disagreement with US policies during the Cold War (a period of tension between the US and the Soviet Union). He refused to pay his federal income tax from 1946 to 1955. He believed that the government was spending too much on military competition. He argued that this spending was hurting Americans' civil liberties (their basic rights and freedoms). Because of these beliefs, Wilson also opposed the Vietnam War.
Even though he was critical of the government, President John F. Kennedy chose him to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Wilson received this award in 1963 from President Lyndon Johnson. However, Wilson did not have a good opinion of Johnson. He even refused an invitation to a White House arts festival in 1965.
"Edmund Wilson Regrets..."
Throughout his career, Wilson often received many requests for his time and help. To manage these, he famously used a printed postcard that read:
"Edmund Wilson regrets that it is impossible for him to: Read manuscripts, write articles or books to order, write forewords or introductions, make statements for publicity purposes, do any kind of editorial work, judge literary contests, give interviews, conduct educational courses, deliver lectures, give talks or make speeches, broadcast or appear on television, take part in writers' congresses, answer questionnaires, contribute to or take part in symposiums or 'panels' of any kind, contribute manuscripts for sales, donate copies of his books to libraries, autograph books for strangers, allow his name to be used on letterheads, supply personal information about himself, supply photographs of himself, supply opinions on literary or other subjects".
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