George Cram Cook
Encyclopedia
George Cram Cook or Jig Cook (October 7, 1873 – January 14, 1924) was an American
novelist, poet, and playwright. He was a lover of ancient Greece, an idealist who dreamt of spiritual communism.
Cook was born in Davenport, Iowa
. He was the son of a wealthy family. His father, a corporate lawyer, strongly encouraged his education from a young age. He completed his bachelor's degree at Harvard in 1893. He continued his studies at the University of Heidelberg in 1894 and at the University of Geneva
the following year.
Upon completing his education Cook taught English literature at the University of Iowa
from 1895 until 1899. He was also an English professor at Stanford University
during the 1902 academic year.
With his wife, dramatist Susan Glaspell
, Cook established the Provincetown Players
in 1915, an important step in the development of theatre
in the United States. The group would perform works by Cook and Glaspell as well as Eugene O'Neill
and Edna St. Vincent Millay
, among others. Cook would lead the Provincetown Players until 1919, at which time he took a sabbatical. Although he returned to the group in 1920, internal wrangling and his own frustration led to his effectively abandoning the cooperative to move to Greece in 1922.
He lived at Delphi, stirring up Greek nationalism in what was then a rural village. After a short time, he began to dress in the traditional shepherd's costume. He and Glaspell spent the entire summers camped in Spruce huts high up on the mountains above the town. In 1924, Cook became ill with glanders
and died. He is buried at Delphi
.
Cook's poetry appears in the volume Greek Coins: Poems of George Cram Cook published posthumously in 1925 by George H. Doran Company; the book includes a photographic frontispiece portrait of the author and three essays by Floyd Dell
, Edna Kenton, and Susan Glaspell
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist, poet, and playwright. He was a lover of ancient Greece, an idealist who dreamt of spiritual communism.
Cook was born in Davenport, Iowa
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
. He was the son of a wealthy family. His father, a corporate lawyer, strongly encouraged his education from a young age. He completed his bachelor's degree at Harvard in 1893. He continued his studies at the University of Heidelberg in 1894 and at the University of Geneva
University of Geneva
The University of Geneva is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland.It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin, as a theological seminary and law school. It remained focused on theology until the 17th century, when it became a center for Enlightenment scholarship. In 1873, it...
the following year.
Upon completing his education Cook taught English literature at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
from 1895 until 1899. He was also an English professor at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
during the 1902 academic year.
With his wife, dramatist Susan Glaspell
Susan Glaspell
Susan Keating Glaspell was an American Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, actress, director, novelist, biographer and poet. She was a founding member of the Provincetown Players, one of the most important collaboratives in the development of modern drama in the United States...
, Cook established the Provincetown Players
Provincetown Players
The Provincetown Players was an amateur group of writers and artists who, at the early part of the 20th Century, wanted to see a change in American theatre and created a company committed to producing new plays by exclusively American playwrights...
in 1915, an important step in the development of theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
in the United States. The group would perform works by Cook and Glaspell as well as Eugene O'Neill
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into American drama techniques of realism earlier associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish...
and Edna St. Vincent Millay
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American lyrical poet, playwright and feminist. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and was known for her activism and her many love affairs. She used the pseudonym Nancy Boyd for her prose work...
, among others. Cook would lead the Provincetown Players until 1919, at which time he took a sabbatical. Although he returned to the group in 1920, internal wrangling and his own frustration led to his effectively abandoning the cooperative to move to Greece in 1922.
He lived at Delphi, stirring up Greek nationalism in what was then a rural village. After a short time, he began to dress in the traditional shepherd's costume. He and Glaspell spent the entire summers camped in Spruce huts high up on the mountains above the town. In 1924, Cook became ill with glanders
Glanders
Glanders is an infectious disease that occurs primarily in horses, mules, and donkeys. It can be contracted by other animals such as dogs, cats and goats...
and died. He is buried at Delphi
Delphi
Delphi is both an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis.In Greek mythology, Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, and a major site for the worship of the god...
.
Cook's poetry appears in the volume Greek Coins: Poems of George Cram Cook published posthumously in 1925 by George H. Doran Company; the book includes a photographic frontispiece portrait of the author and three essays by Floyd Dell
Floyd Dell
Floyd Dell was an American author and critic.-Biography:Floyd Dell was born in Barry, Illinois on June 28, 1887....
, Edna Kenton, and Susan Glaspell
Susan Glaspell
Susan Keating Glaspell was an American Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, actress, director, novelist, biographer and poet. She was a founding member of the Provincetown Players, one of the most important collaboratives in the development of modern drama in the United States...
.
Sources
- Encyclopedia Britannica
- History of the Provincetown Playhouse
- Glaspell, Susan. The Road to the Temple New York: Frederick A. Stokes and Company, 1927