Waldo Frank facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Waldo Frank
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Waldo Frank by Alfred Stieglitz, c. 1920
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| Born | August 25, 1889 Long Branch, New Jersey, USA |
| Died | January 9, 1967 (aged 77) White Plains, New York, USA |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | American |
Waldo David Frank (born August 25, 1889 – died January 9, 1967) was an American writer and activist. He wrote novels, history books, and worked as a literary critic. Frank wrote a lot for magazines like The New Yorker and The New Republic in the 1920s and 1930s.
He is best known for his studies of Spanish and Latin American literature and culture. His work helped connect the ideas and cultures of North and South America. During the Great Depression, Frank was also a strong voice for political change.
Contents
About Waldo Frank's Life
His Early Years
Waldo Frank was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, on August 25, 1889. This was during his family's summer vacation. He was the youngest of four children. His father, Julius J. Frank, was a successful lawyer in Wall Street, working for a shipping company. His mother, Helene Rosenberg, came from the American South.
Waldo grew up in New York City on the Upper West Side. He went to DeWitt Clinton High School. He was once expelled because he refused to take a Shakespeare class. He felt he already knew more than the teacher! After that, he spent a year at a boarding school in Lausanne, Switzerland.
When he returned to the United States, Frank went to Yale University. He earned his first degree there, and then a Master's degree in 1911. After college, Frank worked briefly as a reporter for The New York Times. In 1913, he left to live in Paris to focus on reading and writing. He came back to New York City in 1914, just before World War I began.
His Writing Career
Waldo Frank's novels often explored deep ideas about American culture. His writing was influenced by thinkers like Ralph Waldo Emerson and the poet Walt Whitman.
In 1916, Frank became an editor for The Seven Arts magazine. This magazine only published twelve issues, but it was very important for art and politics. The writers for The Seven Arts were against war. This view caused the magazine to lose readers and money.
In January 1917, Frank married Margaret Naumburg. She later developed special ways to use art to help people, which is now called art therapy.
In 1921, Frank became good friends with the young writer Jean Toomer. Frank helped edit Toomer's first novel, Cane (1923). This book was a mix of poems and stories. It was inspired by Toomer's time working as a school principal in the rural South. Toomer became a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance. Frank and Toomer's friendship ended after 1923 due to disagreements.
Frank also wrote regularly for The New Yorker magazine starting in 1925. He sometimes used the pen name "Search-Light."
His Political Actions
Waldo Frank was against war. In 1917, he declared himself a conscientious objector, meaning he refused to join the military. He became more involved in politics during the 1920s. In 1925, he joined the liberal magazine The New Republic as an editor.
In 1929, Frank worked with other writers like Sherwood Anderson and Theodore Dreiser. They helped raise money for workers on strike in textile factories in the Southern United States. In 1931, he visited the Soviet Union and wrote a book about his experiences called Dawn of Russia.
In 1932, Frank went to Harlan County, Kentucky, to support striking coal miners. He was helping the Independent Miners Relief Committee. While there, he was attacked by a group of people and forced to leave the area.
By the mid-1930s, Frank became closely involved with the Communist Party USA. He was chosen to speak at the first meeting of the League of American Writers in April 1935. Frank was then elected as the leader of this organization.
During the 1936 United States presidential election, Frank supported the Communist Party's candidates. He even faced some minor legal trouble. He was arrested with the party's leader, Earl Browder, while they were campaigning in Terre Haute, Indiana, in September 1936.
In January 1937, Frank traveled to Mexico. There, he met Leon Trotsky, a former Soviet leader who was exiled. Frank suggested that an international group should look into the accusations made against Trotsky. This led to a strong disagreement with Earl Browder and the Communist Party. Frank then separated from the Communist Party.
Frank became less involved in politics during the 1950s. However, in 1959, he visited revolutionary Cuba. He was so impressed that he became the chairman of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee for a short time. In 1961, he published his last book, Cuba: Prophetic Island. This book showed his support for the Cuban Revolution.
Connecting North and South America
Waldo Frank was seen as an important link between North America and Latin America. He believed in the spiritual values of Hispanic cultures. In 1921, he traveled to Spain. He then published a book about Spanish culture called Virgin Spain (1926).
Frank believed that North and South America, with their different cultures, needed to come together. He thought Spain could be an example of how different ideas could combine. Another writer, Ernest Hemingway, did not agree with Frank's ideas.
Frank's novel, Rediscovery of America (1929), also shared some of his ideas for a better world. When his novels were not as popular as he hoped, Frank focused more on politics. His ideas about the strengths of Latin America were very popular when he toured there in 1929.
His lecture tour was organized by the University of Mexico and important people from Argentina and Peru. Frank's writings had a big impact in South America.
In 1942, the United States Department of State asked him to tour South America again. The goal was to encourage countries there not to support the Nazi government in Germany during World War II. While in Argentina, Frank spoke out against the Argentine government's leanings towards the Nazis. Because of this, Argentina declared him a persona non grata, meaning he was no longer welcome.
During his stay in Buenos Aires, Frank was attacked in his apartment. This attack was believed to be because of his opinions on Argentina's role in the war.
Based on his travels and studies, Frank published South American Journey in 1943. He also wrote Birth of a World: Simon Bolivar in Terms of His Peoples in 1951.
His Later Life and Impact
Waldo Frank passed away on January 9, 1967, in White Plains, New York. His work helped many people understand the connections between different cultures and the importance of social change.
See also
In Spanish: Waldo Frank para niños
