Edward Margolies facts for kids

Edward Margolies was an American writer who studied and wrote about books and authors. He was born on December 19, 1925, and passed away on January 9, 2017. He was known for his work as a literary critic and biographer. This means he wrote about other writers' works and also wrote life stories of people.

Early Life and Education

Edward Margolies grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. His parents had moved to the United States from Eastern Europe. He was the youngest of four children, with three older sisters.

During World War II, Margolies served in the military. He helped guard German and Italian prisoners of war. After the war, he went to Brown University. He used the G.I. Bill, which helped veterans pay for college. He graduated in 1950. In 1958, he married Claire Norman, and they had three children together.

Becoming a Professor and Writer

After Brown University, Margolies continued his studies at New York University. He earned his Ph.D. in 1964. His special project was about the works of writer Richard Wright.

Later, he became a professor of English and American Studies. He taught at the College of Staten Island, which is part of the City University of New York. He also taught in other countries. In 1977, he was a Fulbright Scholar in the Netherlands. He also taught at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, in 1979.

Books About African American Writers

Edward Margolies wrote several important books. These books explored the works of African American writers in the United States.

Native Sons and Native Sons Reader

In 1968, Margolies published a book called Native Sons. This book looked closely at eight important African American writers from the 1900s. These writers included William Attaway, Chester Himes, William Demby, Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, Malcolm X, and LeRoi Jones.

Margolies' essays in Native Sons explored how these writers showed the African American experience. Kirkus Reviews, a book review magazine, called it "a godsend for students and teachers." They said it helped readers understand many themes.

A follow-up book, Native Sons Reader, came out in 1970. Margolies edited this book. It was a collection of writings by African American authors. These included W.E.B. Du Bois, Ralph Ellison, and William Demby.

The Art of Richard Wright

In 1969, Margolies published The Art of Richard Wright. This was the first full book to critically review the writer Richard Wright's work. Margolies studied how Wright's stories dealt with big ideas. These ideas included freedom, scary feelings, and black nationalism. Another scholar, Yoshinobu Hakutani, called Margolies' work on Wright "seminal." This means it was very important and influenced later studies.

Later Works

Margolies continued to write about many different authors and topics.

• The Several Lives of Chester Himes was a biography. It told the life story of Chester Himes, a black writer known for his detective novels.
• Which Way Did He Go examined private eye detectives. It looked at characters in books by Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Chester Himes, and Ross Macdonald.
• New York and the Literary Imagination explored New York City. It showed how writers in the 20th century wrote about the city in their stories and plays.