Helen Yglesias
Encyclopedia
Helen Bassine Yglesias was an American
novelist.
n-controlled portion of Poland
who lived in an apartment in Fort Greene, Brooklyn
. Solomon Bassine was the failed owner of several grocery stores. Helen wrote her first novel about a teenage girl in a New York
high school, on three notebooks on her kitchen table when she was a teenager herself. The book was never published, however, and, after high school, she worked at jobs selling underwear, stuffing envelopes, teaching ballroom dancing, and typing manuscripts. Yglesias worked as an editor at The Nation
from 1965 to 1969, by which time she was a mother of 3. In 1968, she signed the “Writers and Editors War Tax Protest” pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War.
is Mary Moody Schwartz, the daughter of a Communist who was convicted of spying for the Soviet Union
during the 1930s. According to the New York Times, it delved into "the roots of American radicalism, the story evolves into an account of one woman's struggle with cancer
and the disorganized attempts of her family and friends to help her."
Arguably Yglesias' most famous work is Sweetsir (1981), a story about a man who was known for his womanizing traits and his cruelty toward his 5 wives. Set in a small New England
town, the fifth wife had had enough of the cruelty and stabbed the husband to death. It goes on to tell of her trial and examines the idea of liberation.
For many years she lived and wrote in Brooklin, Maine
.
of natural causes. She is survived by her daughter, Tamar Cole, and a son, Lewis Cole, from her first marriage to Bernard Cole; novelist and screenwriter Rafael Yglesias
, a son from her second marriage to the novelist Jose Yglesias
; and six grandchildren.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist.
Early life
Yglesias was the youngest of seven children born to Solomon and Kate Bassine, both Yiddish-speaking immigrants from the RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-controlled portion of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
who lived in an apartment in Fort Greene, Brooklyn
Fort Greene, Brooklyn
Fort Greene is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Part of Brooklyn Community Board 2, Fort Greene is listed on the New York State Registry and on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a New York City-designated Historic District...
. Solomon Bassine was the failed owner of several grocery stores. Helen wrote her first novel about a teenage girl in a New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
high school, on three notebooks on her kitchen table when she was a teenager herself. The book was never published, however, and, after high school, she worked at jobs selling underwear, stuffing envelopes, teaching ballroom dancing, and typing manuscripts. Yglesias worked as an editor at 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...
from 1965 to 1969, by which time she was a mother of 3. In 1968, she signed the “Writers and Editors War Tax Protest” pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War.
Career
She started writing professionally when she was 54; her first published novel was How She Died (1972). The protagonistProtagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
is Mary Moody Schwartz, the daughter of a Communist who was convicted of spying for the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
during the 1930s. According to the New York Times, it delved into "the roots of American radicalism, the story evolves into an account of one woman's struggle with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
and the disorganized attempts of her family and friends to help her."
Arguably Yglesias' most famous work is Sweetsir (1981), a story about a man who was known for his womanizing traits and his cruelty toward his 5 wives. Set in a small New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
town, the fifth wife had had enough of the cruelty and stabbed the husband to death. It goes on to tell of her trial and examines the idea of liberation.
For many years she lived and wrote in Brooklin, Maine
Brooklin, Maine
Brooklin is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 841 at the 2000 census. It is home to WoodenBoat Magazine Brooklin Boat Yard, and numerous boatbuilders, artists, writers, musicians and potters.-History:...
.
Death
Yglesias died on March 28, 2008—one day short of her 93rd birthday—in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
of natural causes. She is survived by her daughter, Tamar Cole, and a son, Lewis Cole, from her first marriage to Bernard Cole; novelist and screenwriter Rafael Yglesias
Rafael Yglesias
Rafael Yglesias is an American novelist and screenwriter. His parents were the novelists Jose Yglesias and Helen Yglesias. The blogger and journalist Matthew Yglesias is his older son; his younger son, Nicholas, is also a novelist and has applied to become a police cadet.Yglesias was born and...
, a son from her second marriage to the novelist Jose Yglesias
Jose Yglesias
Jose Yglesias was an American novelist and journalist.-Biography:Yglesias was born in the Ybor City section of Tampa, Florida, and was of Cuban and Spanish descent. His father was from Galicia. He moved to New York City in 1937 and served in the United States Navy during World War II...
; and six grandchildren.
Novels
- How She Died. Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1972; London, Heinemann, 1973.
- Family Feeling. New York, Dial Press, 1976; London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1977.
- Sweetsir. New York, Simon and Schuster, and London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1981.
- The Saviors. Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1987.
- The Girls. Harrison, New York, Delphinium Books, 1999.
Short stories
- "Semi-Private," in the New Yorker, 5 February 1972.
- "Kaddish and Other Matters," in the New Yorker, 6 May 1974.
- "Liar, Liar," in Seventeen (New York), February 1976.
Other
- Starting: Early, Anew, Over, and Late. New York, Rawson Wade, 1978.
- Isabel Bishop. New York, Rizzoli, 1989.
External links
- Helen Yglesias Biography
- Lewis Fried, Helen Yglesias, Jewish Women Encyclopedia