Martha Foley
Encyclopedia
Martha Foley cofounded Story
magazine in 1931 with her husband Whit Burnett. She achieved some notoriety by introducing notable authors through the magazine such as J. D. Salinger
, Tennessee Williams
and Richard Wright
. In 1941 she became the series editor for The Best American Short Stories series.
, Massachusetts, on March 21, 1897 to Walter and Margaret M. C. Foley. From 1909 to 1915 she attended Boston Girls' Latin School
, and even then aspired to be a writer. The school magazine published her first short story Jabberwock when she was eleven years old.
Her aspirations were present even before this. When she was seven both her parents fell ill, and were unable to care for her. She dealt with this by writing a novel about a fortunate girl who got to go to boarding school. At about this same time she became an avid reader, escaping into fiction. It is surmised that this laid the foundation for her later literary achievements, and when she developed an astute sympathy for the human condition
.
After graduating from the 'Girls School' she attended Boston University but did not graduate.
, the San Francisco Record, and the New York Daily News
. In 1925, she met her husband-to-be Whit Burnett in San Francisco. In 1927 she joined him in Paris, where she worked for the Paris Herald and wrote fiction. They were married in Vienna in 1930, and their son David was born the following year (he died in 1971). Martha and Whit were passionate for each other and for literature. In 1931 she convinced him that they should launch a magazine for short stories only.
was to publish short stories
with merit or quality above the commercial mainstream of American magazines. Believing readers and writer
s were capable of more created this focus. In a short time their magazine "Story
" became notable
. From the first printing, in 1931, of only 167 mimeographed copies comprising the first edition
, the magazine was gaining notice. In 1932, after only one year, they and the magazine had moved to New York
and were underwritten by Random House
. Moreover, by this time they knew all the short story writers of the day
The financial backing of Random House created conditions where subscriptions were increased to 25,000, a literary service was offered to readers, and notable new author
s were continually introduced. Story is credited with the first publication and early support of a pantheon of notable authors which included: John Cheever
, Carson McCullers
, William Saroyan
, Truman Capote
, Norman Mailer
, and the three authors mentioned in the introduction, among others.
Story (magazine)
Story was a magazine founded in 1931 by journalist-editor Whit Burnett and his first wife, Martha Foley, in Vienna, Austria. Showcasing short stories by new authors, 67 copies of the debut issue were mimeographed in Vienna, and two years later, Story moved to New York City where Burnett and Foley...
magazine in 1931 with her husband Whit Burnett. She achieved some notoriety by introducing notable authors through the magazine such as J. D. Salinger
J. D. Salinger
Jerome David Salinger was an American author, best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, as well as his reclusive nature. His last original published work was in 1965; he gave his last interview in 1980....
, Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
and Richard Wright
Richard Wright (author)
Richard Nathaniel Wright was an African-American author of sometimes controversial novels, short stories, poems, and non-fiction. Much of his literature concerns racial themes, especially those involving the plight of African-Americans during the late 19th to mid 20th centuries...
. In 1941 she became the series editor for The Best American Short Stories series.
Childhood
She was born in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts, on March 21, 1897 to Walter and Margaret M. C. Foley. From 1909 to 1915 she attended Boston Girls' Latin School
Boston Latin Academy
Boston Latin Academy is a public exam school founded in 1877 in Boston, Massachusetts providing students in grades 7th through 12th a rigorous classical preparatory education....
, and even then aspired to be a writer. The school magazine published her first short story Jabberwock when she was eleven years old.
Her aspirations were present even before this. When she was seven both her parents fell ill, and were unable to care for her. She dealt with this by writing a novel about a fortunate girl who got to go to boarding school. At about this same time she became an avid reader, escaping into fiction. It is surmised that this laid the foundation for her later literary achievements, and when she developed an astute sympathy for the human condition
Human condition
The human condition encompasses the experiences of being human in a social, cultural, and personal context. It can be described as the irreducible part of humanity that is inherent and not connected to gender, race, class, etc. — a search for purpose, sense of curiosity, the inevitability of...
.
After graduating from the 'Girls School' she attended Boston University but did not graduate.
Career and marriage
After leaving Boston University, she chose a career as journalist and foreign correspondent for a succession of newspapers. These included the Boston HeraldBoston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
, the San Francisco Record, and the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
. In 1925, she met her husband-to-be Whit Burnett in San Francisco. In 1927 she joined him in Paris, where she worked for the Paris Herald and wrote fiction. They were married in Vienna in 1930, and their son David was born the following year (he died in 1971). Martha and Whit were passionate for each other and for literature. In 1931 she convinced him that they should launch a magazine for short stories only.
Founding a magazine
The objective for the new publicationMagazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
was to publish 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...
with merit or quality above the commercial mainstream of American magazines. Believing readers and 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....
s were capable of more created this focus. In a short time their magazine "Story
Story (magazine)
Story was a magazine founded in 1931 by journalist-editor Whit Burnett and his first wife, Martha Foley, in Vienna, Austria. Showcasing short stories by new authors, 67 copies of the debut issue were mimeographed in Vienna, and two years later, Story moved to New York City where Burnett and Foley...
" became notable
Notable
Notable can refer to:* the property of a thing having notability* A Notable is a member of the Assembly of Notables, an assembly called by the king of high-ranking notables.* A Wikipedia guideline Wikipedia:Notable...
. From the first printing, in 1931, of only 167 mimeographed copies comprising the first edition
First edition
The bibliographical definition of an edition includes all copies of a book printed “from substantially the same setting of type,” including all minor typographical variants.- First edition :...
, the magazine was gaining notice. In 1932, after only one year, they and the magazine had moved to New York
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...
and were underwritten by Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
. Moreover, by this time they knew all the short story writers of the day
The financial backing of Random House created conditions where subscriptions were increased to 25,000, a literary service was offered to readers, and notable new author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
s were continually introduced. Story is credited with the first publication and early support of a pantheon of notable authors which included: John Cheever
John Cheever
John William Cheever was an American novelist and short story writer. He is sometimes called "the Chekhov of the suburbs." His fiction is mostly set in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the Westchester suburbs, old New England villages based on various South Shore towns around Quincy,...
, Carson McCullers
Carson McCullers
Carson McCullers was an American writer. She wrote novels, short stories, and two plays, as well as essays and some poetry. Her first novel The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter explores the spiritual isolation of misfits and outcasts of the South...
, William Saroyan
William Saroyan
William Saroyan was an Armenian American dramatist and author. The setting of many of his stories and plays is the center of Armenian-American life in California in his native Fresno.-Early years:...
, Truman Capote
Truman Capote
Truman Streckfus Persons , known as Truman Capote , was an American author, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's and the true crime novel In Cold Blood , which he labeled a "nonfiction novel." At...
, Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer
Norman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
, and the three authors mentioned in the introduction, among others.