Irving Howe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Irving Howe
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Howe during his year as writer in residence at University of Michigan, 1967-1968
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| Born | Irving Horenstein June 11, 1920 The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Died | May 5, 1993 (aged 72) Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer, public intellectual |
Irving Howe (June 11, 1920 – May 5, 1993) was an important American writer and thinker. He was known for his ideas about literature and society. He was also a leading member of the Democratic Socialists of America, a group that believes in a fairer society where everyone has a chance to succeed.
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Irving Howe's Early Life
Howe was born as Irving Horenstein in The Bronx, New York. His parents were Jewish immigrants from a region called Bessarabia. They ran a small grocery store, but it closed during tough economic times. His father then worked as a peddler and later in a dress factory, while his mother also worked in the dress industry.
Howe went to City College of New York and finished in 1940. While there, he often discussed big ideas like socialism (a system where society controls resources for everyone's benefit) and fascism (a strict, controlling government system). He changed his name to Howe for political reasons around this time. He also served in the US Army during World War II.
After the war, he started writing about books and culture for well-known magazines like Partisan Review and Commentary. In 1954, Howe helped start an important magazine called Dissent, which he edited until he passed away in 1993. In the 1950s, he taught English and Yiddish literature at Brandeis University. He was one of the first to teach about Yiddish stories in American colleges.
Irving Howe's Political Views
From his college days, Howe was deeply interested in left-wing politics, which focuses on equality and social justice. He was a strong believer in democratic socialism throughout his life. This means he supported a society where people have a say in their government and economy, with a focus on helping everyone.
He joined the Young People's Socialist League in the 1930s. He remained active in different socialist groups, even editing a newspaper called Labor Action for a time.
In the 1970s, he helped start the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee, which later joined to form the Democratic Socialists of America. Howe became a vice-chair of this group.
Howe strongly disagreed with both totalitarianism (governments that control every part of people's lives, like the Soviet Union) and McCarthyism (a time in the US when people were unfairly accused of being communists). He also questioned some traditional Marxism (ideas based on the writings of Karl Marx about class struggle). Later in life, his political ideas became more practical, but he always remained a democratic socialist.
He was known for his strong opinions. Once, a young student criticized him, saying Howe was no longer committed to big changes. Howe famously replied, "You know what you're going to be? You're going to be a dentist." This showed his sharp wit.
Irving Howe as a Writer
Howe was famous for his literary criticism, which means he wrote thoughtful reviews and analyses of books. He also wrote a lot about social and political activism. He wrote biographies about famous authors like Thomas Hardy, William Faulkner, and Sherwood Anderson. He also explored how politics connects to stories in books.
He helped bring attention back to the poet Edwin Arlington Robinson, helping people see him as a great poet of the 20th century. Howe's writing often showed his dislike for some aspects of capitalist America.
He wrote many important books, including Decline of the New, World of Our Fathers, and his own life story, A Margin of Hope. He also wrote a biography of Leon Trotsky, a historical figure he admired since childhood.
His book, World of Our Fathers, is considered a classic. It tells the detailed story of Eastern European Jews who came to America and the culture they created in places like New York. This book won the 1977 National Book Award for History and the National Jewish Book Award.
Howe also edited and translated many Yiddish stories. He even helped get the first English translation of stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer published. He was careful about how Jewish life was shown in books.
In 1987, Howe received a special award called a MacArthur Fellowship, which is given to talented people in various fields.
Irving Howe's Death
Irving Howe passed away in New York due to heart problems.
Irving Howe's Legacy
Irving Howe was known for his strong political views, which he would always defend. Morris Dickstein, a professor, described Howe as someone who often disagreed with popular ideas, whether they were from the left or the right, even though Howe himself was a man of the left.
Leon Wieseltier, a literary editor, said that Howe lived in three important worlds: literature, politics, and Jewish culture. He saw all these worlds change a lot during his lifetime.
The American philosopher Richard Rorty dedicated his book Achieving Our Country to Howe's memory.
Howe even appeared as himself in Woody Allen's movie Zelig.
Irving Howe had two children, Nina and Nicholas, with his second wife, Thalia Phillies. He was survived by his third wife, Ilona Howe.
Irving Howe's Works
Books Authored by Irving Howe
- Sherwood Anderson (1951)
- William Faulkner: A Critical Study (1952)
- The American Communist Party: A Critical History, 1919-1957 (1957)
- Politics and the Novel (1957)
- A World More Attractive: A View of Modern Literature and Politics (1963)
- Steady Work: Essays in the Politics of Democratic Radicalism, 1953-1966 (1966)
- Thomas Hardy (1967)
- Decline of the New (1970)
- The Critical Point: On Literature and Culture (1973)
- World of our Fathers: The Journey of the East European Jews to America and the Life They Found and Made (1976)
- Trotsky (1978)
- A Margin of Hope: An Intellectual Autobiography (1982)
- Socialism and America (1985)
- The American Newness: Culture and Politics in the Age of Emerson (1986)
Books Edited by Irving Howe
- Poverty: Views from the Left (1962)
- The Basic Writings of Trotsky (1963)
- The Radical Papers (1966)
- Beyond the New Left (1970)
- The New Conservatives: A Critique From the Left (1974)
- Yiddish Stories: Old and New (1977)
- The Best of Sholem Aleichem (1979)
- How We Lived: A Documentary History of Immigrant Jews in America, 1880-1930 (1979)
- Short Shorts: An Anthology of the Shortest Stories (1982)
- 1984 Revisited: Totalitarianism in Our Century (1983)
