Granville Hicks
Encyclopedia
Granville Hicks was an American Marxist as well as an anti-Marxist novelist, literary critic, educator, and editor.
, to Frank Stevens and Carrie Weston (Horne) Hicks, Granville Hicks earned his A.B. and M.A. degrees from Harvard University
. In 1925 he married Dorothy Dyer, with whom he had a daughter, Stephanie.
From 1925-1928 Hicks taught at Smith College
in Northampton, Massachusetts
as an instructor in biblical literature. He was an assistant professor of English at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
(1929-35) and a counselor in American civilization at Harvard (1938-39). His seminal work, Small Town, based on his experiences in Grafton, New York, was published in 1946. For three years (1955-1958) he taught novel writing at the New School for Social Research in New York. He was a visiting professor at New York University
(1959), Syracuse University
(1960), and Ohio University
(1967-68). He was the director of the Yaddo
artists' community beginning in 1942 and later served as its acting executive director. For 35 years (1930-1965) he was the literary advisor to Macmillan Publishers
.
Hicks died June 18, 1982, in Franklin Park, New Jersey
.
during the 1930s, well-known for his involvement in a number of celebrated causes (including his well-publicized resignation from the Communist Party
in 1939). He established his reputation as an important literary critic with the 1933 publication of The Great Tradition: An Interpretation of American Literature since the Civil War, a systematic history of American literature from a Marxist perspective.
In 1932 he voted for the Communist Party
ticket and joined almost all the significant Communist party front groups of the 1930s. In 1934 Hicks joined the Communist Party itself and became editor of its cultural magazine The New Masses
. In 1935 Hicks was let go from his teaching position at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a dismissal he claimed was politically motivated although school officials denied this. He continued to teach at various institutions but devoted more and more of his time to writing. In 1936 Hicks was asked to co-write John Reed: The Making of a Revolutionary, a biography of radical journalist John Reed
. Communist Party chairman Earl Browder
pressured Hicks to remove several passages that reflected negatively on the Soviet Union, but in the end the book was praised for its even-handed and unbiased presentation.
In 1939, in protest against the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact
, Hicks resigned from the Communist Party. He attempted to organize an independent left-wing alternative organization, but with little success. By 1940 he had entirely renounced Communism and termed himself a democratic socialist
; that same year he wrote an essay for The Nation
entitled, "The Blind Alley of Marxism." During the 1950s Hicks testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee
twice, and in 1954 in his essay titled "The Liberals Who Haven't Learned," he "unambiguously characterized the aim of communism as 'brutal revolutionary totalitarianism,' and chided liberals for providing a 'verbal cloak of "social betterment"' for the Soviets."
By the time Hicks died, his early radical/Marxist writings were balanced by his later turn to a broader, more humanistic criticism.
, Harper's, Sewanee Review
, New York Times Book Review, The Bookman
, Esquire
, New Republic
, and Nation
. He also wrote the introduction to John Reed's "Ten Days that Shook the World" Modern Library (New York, NY), 1935.
Life
Born September 9, 1901, in Exeter, New HampshireExeter, New Hampshire
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town's population was 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood...
, to Frank Stevens and Carrie Weston (Horne) Hicks, Granville Hicks earned his A.B. and M.A. degrees from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. In 1925 he married Dorothy Dyer, with whom he had a daughter, Stephanie.
From 1925-1928 Hicks taught at Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
in Northampton, Massachusetts
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
as an instructor in biblical literature. He was an assistant professor of English at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
(1929-35) and a counselor in American civilization at Harvard (1938-39). His seminal work, Small Town, based on his experiences in Grafton, New York, was published in 1946. For three years (1955-1958) he taught novel writing at the New School for Social Research in New York. He was a visiting professor at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
(1959), Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
(1960), and Ohio University
Ohio University
Ohio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus...
(1967-68). He was the director of the Yaddo
Yaddo
Yaddo is an artists' community located on a 400 acre estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment."...
artists' community beginning in 1942 and later served as its acting executive director. For 35 years (1930-1965) he was the literary advisor to Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
.
Hicks died June 18, 1982, in Franklin Park, New Jersey
Franklin Park, New Jersey
Franklin Park is an unincorporated area within portions of North Brunswick Township and South Brunswick Township in Middlesex County and Franklin Township in Somerset County, in New Jersey, United States...
.
Communism
Hicks was a highly influential Marxist literary criticMarxist literary criticism
Marxist literary criticism is a loose term describing literary criticism based on socialist and dialectic theories. Marxist criticism views literary works as reflections of the social institutions from which they originate...
during the 1930s, well-known for his involvement in a number of celebrated causes (including his well-publicized resignation from the Communist Party
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
in 1939). He established his reputation as an important literary critic with the 1933 publication of The Great Tradition: An Interpretation of American Literature since the Civil War, a systematic history of American literature from a Marxist perspective.
In 1932 he voted for the Communist Party
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
ticket and joined almost all the significant Communist party front groups of the 1930s. In 1934 Hicks joined the Communist Party itself and became editor of its cultural magazine The New Masses
The New Masses
The "New Masses" was a prominent American Marxist publication edited by Walt Carmon, briefly by Whittaker Chambers, and primarily by Michael Gold, Granville Hicks, and Joseph Freeman....
. In 1935 Hicks was let go from his teaching position at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a dismissal he claimed was politically motivated although school officials denied this. He continued to teach at various institutions but devoted more and more of his time to writing. In 1936 Hicks was asked to co-write John Reed: The Making of a Revolutionary, a biography of radical journalist John Reed
John Silas Reed
John Silas "Jack" Reed was an American journalist, poet, and communist activist, best remembered for his first-hand account of the Bolshevik Revolution, Ten Days that Shook the World...
. Communist Party chairman Earl Browder
Earl Browder
Earl Russell Browder was an American communist and General Secretary of the Communist Party USA from 1934 to 1945. He was expelled from the party in 1946.- Early years :...
pressured Hicks to remove several passages that reflected negatively on the Soviet Union, but in the end the book was praised for its even-handed and unbiased presentation.
In 1939, in protest against the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially titled the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and signed in Moscow in the late hours of 23 August 1939...
, Hicks resigned from the Communist Party. He attempted to organize an independent left-wing alternative organization, but with little success. By 1940 he had entirely renounced Communism and termed himself a democratic socialist
Democratic socialism
Democratic socialism is a description used by various socialist movements and organizations to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation...
; that same year he wrote an essay for The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
entitled, "The Blind Alley of Marxism." During the 1950s Hicks testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
twice, and in 1954 in his essay titled "The Liberals Who Haven't Learned," he "unambiguously characterized the aim of communism as 'brutal revolutionary totalitarianism,' and chided liberals for providing a 'verbal cloak of "social betterment"' for the Soviets."
By the time Hicks died, his early radical/Marxist writings were balanced by his later turn to a broader, more humanistic criticism.
Selected bibliography
In addition to his books, Hicks wrote a number of articles for various publications including American Mercury, Pacific Weekly, Antioch ReviewAntioch Review
The Antioch Review is an American literary magazine established in 1941 at Antioch College in Ohio. One of the oldest continuously published literary magazines in the United States, it publishes fiction, essays and poetry from both emerging and established authors.The magazine continues to publish...
, Harper's, Sewanee Review
Sewanee Review
The Sewanee Review is a literary journal established in 1892 and the oldest continuously published periodical of its kind in the United States. It incorporates original fiction and poetry, as well as essays, reviews, and literary criticism...
, New York Times Book Review, The Bookman
The Bookman
The Bookman may refer to:*The Bookman *The Bookman...
, Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
, New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
, and Nation
Nation
A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...
. He also wrote the introduction to John Reed's "Ten Days that Shook the World" Modern Library (New York, NY), 1935.
Nonfiction
- Eight Ways of Looking at Christianity, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1926.
- The Great Tradition: An Interpretation of American Literature since the Civil War, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1933, revised 1933, revised edition with a new foreword and afterword, Quadrangle (New York, NY), 1969.
- One of Us: The Story of John Reed. Equinox Cooperative Press (New York, NY), 1935.
- (Editor, with others) Proletarian Literature in the United States, International Publishers (New York, NY), 1935.
- (With John Stuart) John Reed: The Making of a Revolutionary, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1936, reprinted, Arno (New York, NY), 1968.
- I Like America, Modern Age Books (New York, NY), 1938.
- Figures of Transition: A Study of British Literature at the End of the Nineteenth Century, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1939, reprinted, Greenwood Press (Westport, CT), 1969.
- Small Town, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1946, reprinted, Fordham University Press (New York, NY), 2004.
- Where We Came Out, Viking (New York, NY), 1954.
- Part of the Truth (autobiography), Harcourt (New York, NY), 1965.
- James Gould Cozzens, University of Minnesota Press (Minneapolis, MN), 1966.
- Literary Horizons: A Quarter Century of American Fiction, New York University Press (New York, NY), 1970.
- Granville Hicks in the New Masses, Kennikat (Port Washington, NY), 1974.
- Long, Terry L. Granville Hicks Twayne (Boston, MA), 1981
- Levenson, Leah and Natterstad, Jerry. Granville Hicks: The Intellectual in Mass Society. Temple University Press (Philadelphia, PA), 1993.
Fiction
- The First to Awaken, Macmillan, (New York, NY), 1940
- Only One Storm, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1942.
- Behold Trouble, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1944.
- There was a Man in our Town, Viking (New York, NY) 1952
External links
- Granville Hicks Papers at the Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Library