Katherine R. Whitmore
Encyclopedia
Katherine R. Whitmore (Kansas
, 1897-1982) was a Spanish literature
professor at Smith College
. She majored in Spanish language and literature at the University of Kansas
, and received her doctorate from Berkeley. She taught at a college in Richmond and, from 1930 on, at Smith College
. She married Brewer Whitmore, another professor at Smith, in 1939.
Whitmore spent the summer of 1932 and the 1934-1935 academic year in Madrid
, where she met poet Pedro Salinas
, who fell in love with her. The relationship was the inspiration of Salinas' La voz a ti debida (1934), Razón de amor (1936), and Largo lamento (1939). Salinas' love letters to Whitmore from 1932 to 1947, kept at Houghton Library
in Harvard University
, were published in 2002 as Cartas a Katherine. Whitmore was specialized in Generation of '27
literature, which means she had to teach the poetry written for her to her students.
She wrote several books, including The Generation of 1898 in Spain as Seen Through Its Fictional Hero (1936), and Handbook of Intermediate Spanish (1942).
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, 1897-1982) was a Spanish literature
Spanish literature
Spanish literature generally refers to literature written in the Spanish language within the territory that presently constitutes the state of Spain...
professor 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...
. She majored in Spanish language and literature at the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
, and received her doctorate from Berkeley. She taught at a college in Richmond and, from 1930 on, 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...
. She married Brewer Whitmore, another professor at Smith, in 1939.
Whitmore spent the summer of 1932 and the 1934-1935 academic year in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, where she met poet Pedro Salinas
Pedro Salinas
Pedro Salinas y Serrano was a Spanish poet and member of the Generation of '27. He was also a scholar and critic of Spanish literature, teaching at universities in Spain, England, and the United States....
, who fell in love with her. The relationship was the inspiration of Salinas' La voz a ti debida (1934), Razón de amor (1936), and Largo lamento (1939). Salinas' love letters to Whitmore from 1932 to 1947, kept at Houghton Library
Houghton Library
Houghton Library is the primary repository for rare books and manuscripts at Harvard University. It is part of the Harvard College Library within the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Houghton is located on the south side of Harvard Yard, next to Widener Library.- History :Harvard's first...
in 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...
, were published in 2002 as Cartas a Katherine. Whitmore was specialized in Generation of '27
Generation of '27
The Generation of '27 was an influential group of poets that arose in Spanish literary circles between 1923 and 1927, essentially out of a shared desire to experience and work with avant-garde forms of art and poetry. Their first formal meeting took place in Seville in 1927 to mark the 300th...
literature, which means she had to teach the poetry written for her to her students.
She wrote several books, including The Generation of 1898 in Spain as Seen Through Its Fictional Hero (1936), and Handbook of Intermediate Spanish (1942).