Edgar Lee Masters
Encyclopedia
Edgar Lee Masters was an American
poet
, biographer, and dramatist. He is the author of Spoon River Anthology
, The New Star Chamber and Other Essays, Songs and Satires, The Great Valley, The Serpent in the Wilderness An Obscure Tale, The Spleen, Mark Twain: A Portrait, Lincoln: The Man, and Illinois Poems. In all, Masters published twelve plays, twenty-one books of poetry, six novels and six biographies, including those of Abraham Lincoln
, Mark Twain
, Vachel Lindsay
, and Walt Whitman
.
, his father had briefly moved to set up a law practice. The family soon moved back to his paternal grandparents' farm near Petersburg
in Menard County, Illinois. In 1880 they moved to Lewistown, Illinois
, where he attended high school and had his first publication in the Chicago Daily News
. The culture around Lewistown, in addition to the town's cemetery at Oak Hill, and the nearby Spoon River
were the inspirations for many of his works, most notably Spoon River Anthology
, his most famous and acclaimed work.
Masters attended The Knox Academy from 1889–1890, a defunct preparatory program run by Knox College, but was forced to leave due to his family's inability to finance his education.
After working in his father's law office, he was admitted to the Illinois bar
and moved to Chicago, where he established a law partnership with Kickham Scanlan in 1893. He married twice. In 1898, he married Helen M. Jenkins, the daughter of a lawyer in Chicago, and had three children. During his law partnership with Clarence Darrow
, from 1903 to 1908, Masters defended the poor. In 1911, he started his own law firm, despite the three years of unrest (1908–1911) due to extramarital affairs and an argument with Darrow.
Two of his children followed him with literary careers. His daughter Marcia pursued poetry, while his son, Hilary Masters
became a novelist. Hilary and his half-brother Hardin wrote a memoir of their father.
Masters died at a nursing home on March 5, 1950, in Melrose Park, Pennsylvania
, aged 81. He is buried in Oakland cemetery in Petersburg, Illinois. His epitaph includes his poem, "To-morrow is My Birthday" from Toward the Gulf (1918):
Good friends, let’s to the fields…
After a little walk and by your pardon,
I think I’ll sleep, there is no sweeter thing.
Nor fate more blessed than to sleep.
I am a dream out of a blessed sleep-
Let’s walk, and hear the lark.
.
.
Masters began developing as a notable American poet in 1914 , when he began a series of poems (this time under the pseudonym Webster Ford) about his childhood experiences in Western Illinois, which appeared in Reedy's Mirror
, a St. Louis publication. In 1915 the series was bound into a volume and re-titled Spoon River Anthology
. Years later, he wrote a memorable and invaluable account of the book’s background and genesis, his working methods and influences, as well as its reception by the critics, favorable and hostile, in an autobiographical article notable for its human warmth and general interest.
Though he never matched the success of his Spoon River Anthology
, Masters was a prolific writer of diverse works. He published several other volumes of poems including Book of Verses in 1898, Songs and Sonnets in 1910, The Great Valley in 1916, Song and Satires in 1916, The Open Sea in 1921, The New Spoon River in 1924, Lee in 1926, Jack Kelso in 1928, Lichee Nuts in 1930, Gettysburg, Manila, Acoma in 1930, Godbey, sequel to Jack Kelso in 1931, The Serpent in the Wilderness in 1933, Richmond in 1934, Invisible Landscapes in 1935, The Golden Fleece of California in 1936, Poems of People in 1936, The New World in 1937, More People in 1939, Illinois Poems in 1941, and Along the Illinois in 1942.
Masters was awarded the Mark Twain Silver Medal in 1936, the Poetry Society of America medal in 1941, the Academy of American Poets Fellowship in 1942, and the Shelly Memorial Award in 1944.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, biographer, and dramatist. He is the author of Spoon River Anthology
Spoon River Anthology
Spoon River Anthology , by Edgar Lee Masters, is a collection of short free-form poems that collectively describe the life of the fictional small town of Spoon River, named after the real Spoon River that ran near Masters' home town. The collection includes two hundred and twelve separate...
, The New Star Chamber and Other Essays, Songs and Satires, The Great Valley, The Serpent in the Wilderness An Obscure Tale, The Spleen, Mark Twain: A Portrait, Lincoln: The Man, and Illinois Poems. In all, Masters published twelve plays, twenty-one books of poetry, six novels and six biographies, including those of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
, Vachel Lindsay
Vachel Lindsay
Nicholas Vachel Lindsay was an American poet. He is considered the father of modern singing poetry, as he referred to it, in which verses are meant to be sung or chanted...
, and Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
.
Biography
Born on August 23, 1868 to Emma J. Dexter and Hardin Wallace Masters in Garnett, KansasGarnett, Kansas
Garnett is a city in and the county seat of Anderson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,415.-Geography:Garnett is located at...
, his father had briefly moved to set up a law practice. The family soon moved back to his paternal grandparents' farm near Petersburg
Petersburg, Illinois
Petersburg is a city in Menard County, Illinois, on the bluffs and part of the floodplain overlooking the Sangamon River. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,299 at the 2000 census, and 2,185 at a 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Menard...
in Menard County, Illinois. In 1880 they moved to Lewistown, Illinois
Lewistown, Illinois
Lewistown is a city in Fulton County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,522 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Fulton County. Located in central Illinois, it is southwest of Peoria. It is the source of Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, who lived there...
, where he attended high school and had his first publication in the Chicago Daily News
Chicago Daily News
The Chicago Daily News was an afternoon daily newspaper published between 1876 and 1978 in Chicago, Illinois.-History:The Daily News was founded by Melville E. Stone, Percy Meggy, and William Dougherty in 1875 and began publishing early the next year...
. The culture around Lewistown, in addition to the town's cemetery at Oak Hill, and the nearby Spoon River
Spoon River
The Spoon River is a tributary of the Illinois River in west-central Illinois in the United States. The river drains largely agricultural prairie country between Peoria and Galesburg...
were the inspirations for many of his works, most notably Spoon River Anthology
Spoon River Anthology
Spoon River Anthology , by Edgar Lee Masters, is a collection of short free-form poems that collectively describe the life of the fictional small town of Spoon River, named after the real Spoon River that ran near Masters' home town. The collection includes two hundred and twelve separate...
, his most famous and acclaimed work.
Masters attended The Knox Academy from 1889–1890, a defunct preparatory program run by Knox College, but was forced to leave due to his family's inability to finance his education.
After working in his father's law office, he was admitted to the Illinois bar
Admission to the bar
An admission to practice law, also called admission to the bar, is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. Becoming a lawyer is a widely varied process around the world. Common to all jurisdictions are requirements of age and competence; some jurisdictions also require citizenship...
and moved to Chicago, where he established a law partnership with Kickham Scanlan in 1893. He married twice. In 1898, he married Helen M. Jenkins, the daughter of a lawyer in Chicago, and had three children. During his law partnership with Clarence Darrow
Clarence Darrow
Clarence Seward Darrow was an American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, best known for defending teenage thrill killers Leopold and Loeb in their trial for murdering 14-year-old Robert "Bobby" Franks and defending John T...
, from 1903 to 1908, Masters defended the poor. In 1911, he started his own law firm, despite the three years of unrest (1908–1911) due to extramarital affairs and an argument with Darrow.
Two of his children followed him with literary careers. His daughter Marcia pursued poetry, while his son, Hilary Masters
Hilary Masters
Hilary Masters is an American writer.He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of Edgar Lee Masters, a writer, and Ellen Frances Coyne Masters. He attended Davidson College from 1944–1946, then served in the U.S. Navy from 1946 to 1947 as a naval correspondent...
became a novelist. Hilary and his half-brother Hardin wrote a memoir of their father.
Masters died at a nursing home on March 5, 1950, in Melrose Park, Pennsylvania
Melrose Park, Pennsylvania
Melrose Park is an unincorporated section of Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania on the Philadelphia city line. It is bordered to the south by Cheltenham Avenue, to the west by Old York Road, to the east by New Second Street and to the north by Ashbourne Road....
, aged 81. He is buried in Oakland cemetery in Petersburg, Illinois. His epitaph includes his poem, "To-morrow is My Birthday" from Toward the Gulf (1918):
Good friends, let’s to the fields…
After a little walk and by your pardon,
I think I’ll sleep, there is no sweeter thing.
Nor fate more blessed than to sleep.
I am a dream out of a blessed sleep-
Let’s walk, and hear the lark.
Family history
Edgar's father was Hardin Wallace Masters, whose father was Squire Davis Masters, whose father was Thomas Masters, whose father was Hillery Masters, and his father was Robert Masters who was born c.1715 in Prince Georges County, MarylandMaryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
.
Poetry
Masters first published his early poems and essays under the pseudonym Dexter Wallace (after his mother's maiden name and his father's middle name) until the year 1903, when he joined the law firm of Clarence DarrowClarence Darrow
Clarence Seward Darrow was an American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, best known for defending teenage thrill killers Leopold and Loeb in their trial for murdering 14-year-old Robert "Bobby" Franks and defending John T...
.
Masters began developing as a notable American poet in 1914 , when he began a series of poems (this time under the pseudonym Webster Ford) about his childhood experiences in Western Illinois, which appeared in Reedy's Mirror
Reedy's Mirror
Reedy's Mirror was a literary journal in St. Louis, Missouri in the fin de siècle era. It billed itself "The Mid-West Weekly".-Overview:The journal first appeared on February, 25 1891 under the title of the Sunday Mirror, published by The Sunday Mirror Company in St. Louis. On February 28, 1895,...
, a St. Louis publication. In 1915 the series was bound into a volume and re-titled Spoon River Anthology
Spoon River Anthology
Spoon River Anthology , by Edgar Lee Masters, is a collection of short free-form poems that collectively describe the life of the fictional small town of Spoon River, named after the real Spoon River that ran near Masters' home town. The collection includes two hundred and twelve separate...
. Years later, he wrote a memorable and invaluable account of the book’s background and genesis, his working methods and influences, as well as its reception by the critics, favorable and hostile, in an autobiographical article notable for its human warmth and general interest.
Though he never matched the success of his Spoon River Anthology
Spoon River Anthology
Spoon River Anthology , by Edgar Lee Masters, is a collection of short free-form poems that collectively describe the life of the fictional small town of Spoon River, named after the real Spoon River that ran near Masters' home town. The collection includes two hundred and twelve separate...
, Masters was a prolific writer of diverse works. He published several other volumes of poems including Book of Verses in 1898, Songs and Sonnets in 1910, The Great Valley in 1916, Song and Satires in 1916, The Open Sea in 1921, The New Spoon River in 1924, Lee in 1926, Jack Kelso in 1928, Lichee Nuts in 1930, Gettysburg, Manila, Acoma in 1930, Godbey, sequel to Jack Kelso in 1931, The Serpent in the Wilderness in 1933, Richmond in 1934, Invisible Landscapes in 1935, The Golden Fleece of California in 1936, Poems of People in 1936, The New World in 1937, More People in 1939, Illinois Poems in 1941, and Along the Illinois in 1942.
Masters was awarded the Mark Twain Silver Medal in 1936, the Poetry Society of America medal in 1941, the Academy of American Poets Fellowship in 1942, and the Shelly Memorial Award in 1944.
Poetry
- A Book of Verses (1898)
- Songs and Sonnets (1910)
- Spoon River AnthologySpoon River AnthologySpoon River Anthology , by Edgar Lee Masters, is a collection of short free-form poems that collectively describe the life of the fictional small town of Spoon River, named after the real Spoon River that ran near Masters' home town. The collection includes two hundred and twelve separate...
(1915) - Songs and Satires (1916)
- Fiddler Jones (1916)
- The Great Valley (1916)
- The Open Sea (1921)
- The New Spoon River (1924)
- Selected Poems (1925)
- Lee: A Dramatic Poem (1926)
- Jack Kelso: A Dramatic Poem (1920)
- Lichee Nuts (1930)
- Gettysburg, Manila, Acoma: A Dramatic Poem (1930)
- Godbey: A Dramatic Poem, sequel to Jack Kelso (1931)
- The Serpent in the Wilderness (1933)
- Richmond: A Dramatic Poem (1934)
- Invisible Landscapes (1935)
- Poems of People (1936)
- The Golden Fleece of California (1936)
- The New World (1937)
- More People (1939)
- Illinois Poems (1941)
- Along the Illinois (1942)
- Silence(1946)
- George Gray
- Many Soldiers
- The Unknown
Plays
- Althea: A Play (1907, drama)
- Eileen: A Play (1910, drama)
- The Bread of Idleness: A Play (1910, drama)
- Dramatic Dialogues: Four Short Plays (1934, drama)
Biographies
- Lincoln: The Man (1931)
- Vachel Lindsay: A Poet in America (1935)
- Across Spoon River: An Autobiography (1936, memoir)
- Whitman (1937)
- Mark Twain: A Portrait (1938)
Books
- The New Star Chamber and Other Essays (1904, essays)
- The Blood of the Prophets (1905)
- The Great Valley (1916)
- Toward the Gulf (1918)
- Starved Rock (1919)
- Mitch Miller (1920, novel)
- Domesday Book (1920)
- The Open Sea (1921)
- Children of the Market Place (1922)
- Skeeters Kirby (1923, novel)
- The Nuptial Flight (1923, novel)
- Kit O'Brien (1927, novel)
- Levy Mayer and the New Industrial Era (1927)
- The Fate of the Jury: An Epilogue to Domesday Book (1929)
- Gettysburg, Manila, Acoma (1930)
- Godbey: A Dramatic Poem (1931)
- The Tale of Chicago (1933, history)
- The Golden Fleece of California (1936)
- The Tide of Time (1937, novel)
- The Sangamon (1942, nonfiction)
- Lucinda Matlock
- Greg Smith
Quotes
- "To put meaning in one's life may end in madness,
But life without meaning is the torture
Of restlessness and vague desire –
It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid."
External links
- Edgar Lee Masters at the Modern American Poetry Site of the University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignThe University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
- Books by Edgar Lee Masters in PDF at Penn State's Electronic Classics Series site
- A large collection of Edgar Lee Masters' papers is held at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin
- Complete text of Spoon River Anthology
- Spoon River Anthology online edition with cross-references and comments
- Edgar Lee Masters at Newberry LibraryNewberry LibraryThe Newberry Library is a privately endowed, independent research library for the humanities and social sciences in Chicago, Illinois. Although it is private, non-circulating library, the Newberry Library is free and open to the public...