Margery Latimer
Encyclopedia
Margery Latimer born in Portage, Wisconsin
, was a writer
, feminist theorist, and social activist. Latimer published two highly acclaimed novels, We Are Incredible (1928) and This is My Body (1930), and two collections of short stories
, Nellie Bloom and Other Stories (1929), and Guardian Angel and Other Stories (1932). Her formally experimental fiction was greatly influenced by the modernism of the 1920s, and reviewers of the period compared her to Gertrude Stein
, James Joyce
, and D. H. Lawrence
. Her work reflects her feminist, socialist, and anti-racist ideals.
Latimer was mentored by her Portage neighbor Zona Gale
, the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize
for drama, whose ideology and style of writing were more traditional than that of her protege. The two writers had a deep and often difficult relationship. Latimer attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison
on a Zona Gale scholarship and maintained an intimate correspondence with her mentor until about the time of Gale's marriage in 1928. Latimer fictionalized their conflicted relationship in the short story "Possession" (Nellie Bloom and Other Stories), the novel We Are Incredible, and the long title story in Guardian Angel and Other Stories. While living in New York City
’s Greenwich Village
in the 1920s, Latimer became active in various social causes as well as doing some political reporting for a radical journal of the twenties, The New Masses
. She lived with poet Kenneth Fearing
, her romantic partner, and was friends with writers and artists of the period such as Georgia O'Keeffe
, Walt Kuhn
, Meridel Le Sueur
, Carl Rakosi
, and Carl Van Vechten
.
Latimer met her husband, Harlem Renaissance
writer Jean Toomer
, while living in New York City. Toomer was then the leader of the Gurdjieff
movement in the United States
. To test Gurdjieffian ideas of harmonious living, Latimer and Toomer, with six other unmarried people, moved to the Witte farm near Briggsville, Wisconsin
. The goal was, in Toomer's words, "to eradicate the false veneer of civilization, with its unnatural inhibition, its selfishness, petty meanness and unnatural behavior.... Adults can be re-educated to become as natural as little children...." While the participants seemed to enjoy the experiment, the neighbors in the countryside and in Portage were scandalized. Talk of communism, nudity and sexual license, spiked by the fact that Toomer was of mixed racial heritage, abounded and prompted hostility. By the end of the summer of 1931, Toomer ended the experiment and documented its demise in a book entitled Portage Potential. In October, 1931, the authors married in Portage and left on a wedding trip for Santa Fe, Pasadena
, and Carmel, California, where they were residing when a nationwide anti-miscegenation
scandal concerning their marriage broke. Latimer was pregnant, and they returned to Chicago and took an apartment. Latimer died after giving birth to their healthy daughter on August 16, 1932. She was thirty-three years of age.
Portage, Wisconsin
Portage is a city in and the county seat of Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 10,662 at the 2010 census making it the largest city in Columbia County...
, was a writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, feminist theorist, and social activist. Latimer published two highly acclaimed novels, We Are Incredible (1928) and This is My Body (1930), and two collections of short stories
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
, Nellie Bloom and Other Stories (1929), and Guardian Angel and Other Stories (1932). Her formally experimental fiction was greatly influenced by the modernism of the 1920s, and reviewers of the period compared her to Gertrude Stein
Gertrude Stein
Gertrude Stein was an American writer, poet and art collector who spent most of her life in France.-Early life:...
, James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
, and D. H. Lawrence
D. H. Lawrence
David Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter who published as D. H. Lawrence. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation...
. Her work reflects her feminist, socialist, and anti-racist ideals.
Latimer was mentored by her Portage neighbor Zona Gale
Zona Gale
Zona Gale was an American author and playwright. She became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama, in 1921.-Biography:Gale was born in Portage, Wisconsin, which she often used as a setting in her writing...
, the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
for drama, whose ideology and style of writing were more traditional than that of her protege. The two writers had a deep and often difficult relationship. Latimer attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
on a Zona Gale scholarship and maintained an intimate correspondence with her mentor until about the time of Gale's marriage in 1928. Latimer fictionalized their conflicted relationship in the short story "Possession" (Nellie Bloom and Other Stories), the novel We Are Incredible, and the long title story in Guardian Angel and Other Stories. While living in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
’s Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
in the 1920s, Latimer became active in various social causes as well as doing some political reporting for a radical journal of the twenties, 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....
. She lived with poet Kenneth Fearing
Kenneth Fearing
Kenneth Fearing was an American poet, novelist, and founding editor of the Partisan Review. Literary critic Macha Rosenthal called him "the chief poet of the American Depression."-Early life:...
, her romantic partner, and was friends with writers and artists of the period such as Georgia O'Keeffe
Georgia O'Keeffe
Georgia Totto O'Keeffe was an American artist.Born near Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, O'Keeffe first came to the attention of the New York art community in 1916, several decades before women had gained access to art training in America’s colleges and universities, and before any of its women artists...
, Walt Kuhn
Walt Kuhn
Walt Kuhn was an American painter and was an organizer of the modern art Armory Show of 1913, which was the first of its genre in America.-Biography:Kuhn was born in Brooklyn, New York City...
, Meridel Le Sueur
Meridel Le Sueur
Meridel Le Sueur was an American writer associated with the proletarian movement of the 1930s and 1940s...
, Carl Rakosi
Carl Rakosi
Carl Rakosi was the last surviving member of the original group of poets who were given the rubric Objectivist. He was still publishing and performing his poetry well into his 90s.-Early life:...
, and Carl Van Vechten
Carl van Vechten
Carl Van Vechten was an American writer and photographer who was a patron of the Harlem Renaissance and the literary executor of Gertrude Stein.-Biography:...
.
Latimer met her husband, Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke...
writer Jean Toomer
Jean Toomer
Jean Toomer was an American poet and novelist and an important figure of the Harlem Renaissance. His first book Cane is considered by many as his most significant.-Early life:...
, while living in New York City. Toomer was then the leader of the Gurdjieff
G. I. Gurdjieff
George Ivanovich Gurdjieff according to Gurdjieff's principles and instructions, or the "Fourth Way."At one point he described his teaching as "esoteric Christianity."...
movement in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. To test Gurdjieffian ideas of harmonious living, Latimer and Toomer, with six other unmarried people, moved to the Witte farm near Briggsville, Wisconsin
Briggsville, Wisconsin
Briggsville, Wisconsin is an unincorporated community in the southwest corner of Marquette County, Wisconsin, in the town of Douglas. It is located on Wisconsin Highway 23. It uses ZIP code 53920. It is located on the eastern side of Lake Mason....
. The goal was, in Toomer's words, "to eradicate the false veneer of civilization, with its unnatural inhibition, its selfishness, petty meanness and unnatural behavior.... Adults can be re-educated to become as natural as little children...." While the participants seemed to enjoy the experiment, the neighbors in the countryside and in Portage were scandalized. Talk of communism, nudity and sexual license, spiked by the fact that Toomer was of mixed racial heritage, abounded and prompted hostility. By the end of the summer of 1931, Toomer ended the experiment and documented its demise in a book entitled Portage Potential. In October, 1931, the authors married in Portage and left on a wedding trip for Santa Fe, Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, and Carmel, California, where they were residing when a nationwide anti-miscegenation
Miscegenation
Miscegenation is the mixing of different racial groups through marriage, cohabitation, sexual relations, and procreation....
scandal concerning their marriage broke. Latimer was pregnant, and they returned to Chicago and took an apartment. Latimer died after giving birth to their healthy daughter on August 16, 1932. She was thirty-three years of age.