Mary Traill Spence Lowell Putnam
Encyclopedia
Mary Traill Spence Lowell Putnam (born Boston, Massachusetts, 3 December 1810; died there, 1 June 1898) was a United States
author
.
, and their father, the Rev. Charles Lowell, was pastor of a Unitarian church from 1806 until he died in 1861. She had an aptitude for acquiring languages: she was eventually fluent in French, Italian, German, Polish, Swedish and Hungarian, and familiar with many other languages. She married Samuel R. Putnam in 1832 and later traveled abroad for several years.
Putnam's literary work was confined to magazine writing until 1844, when she translated from the Swedish
Fredrika Bremer
's The Handmaid.Mary Howitt
had done an earlier English translation in 1842 from a German version. She contributed to the North American Review
articles on Polish
and Hungarian literature
(1848-50), and to the Christian Examiner
on the history of Hungary (1850-51). Her name became widely known when she became involved in a controversy with Francis Bowen
, editor of the North American Review, regarding the war in Hungary. Bowen attacked the Hungarian revolutionists, whom she upheld.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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:...
.
Biography
She was a sister of James Russell LowellJames Russell Lowell
James Russell Lowell was an American Romantic poet, critic, editor, and diplomat. He is associated with the Fireside Poets, a group of New England writers who were among the first American poets who rivaled the popularity of British poets...
, and their father, the Rev. Charles Lowell, was pastor of a Unitarian church from 1806 until he died in 1861. She had an aptitude for acquiring languages: she was eventually fluent in French, Italian, German, Polish, Swedish and Hungarian, and familiar with many other languages. She married Samuel R. Putnam in 1832 and later traveled abroad for several years.
Putnam's literary work was confined to magazine writing until 1844, when she translated from the Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
Fredrika Bremer
Fredrika Bremer
Fredrika Bremer was a Swedish writer and a feminist activist. She had a large influence on the social development in Sweden, especially in feminist issues.-Background:...
's The Handmaid.Mary Howitt
Mary Howitt
Mary Howitt was an English poet, and author of the famous poem The Spider and the Fly. She was born Mary Botham at Coleford, in Gloucestershire, the temporary residence of her parents, while her father, Samuel Botham, a prosperous Quaker of Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, was looking after some mining...
had done an earlier English translation in 1842 from a German version. She contributed to the North American Review
North American Review
The North American Review was the first literary magazine in the United States. Founded in Boston in 1815 by journalist Nathan Hale and others, it was published continuously until 1940, when publication was suspended due to J. H. Smyth, who had purchased the magazine, being unmasked as a Japanese...
articles on Polish
Polish literature
Polish literature is the literary tradition of Poland. Most Polish literature has been written in the Polish language, though other languages, used in Poland over the centuries, have also contributed to Polish literary traditions, including Yiddish, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, German and...
and Hungarian literature
Hungarian literature
Hungarian literature is literature written in the Hungarian language, predominantly by Hungarians.There is a limited amount of Old Hungarian literature dating to between the late 12th and the early 16th centuries...
(1848-50), and to the Christian Examiner
Christian Examiner
The Christian Examiner is a Christian newspaper. The Christian Examiner is a monthly publication serving Southern California, Minnesota and Washington state. The newspapers report on regional, national and international news and events from a Christian perspective...
on the history of Hungary (1850-51). Her name became widely known when she became involved in a controversy with Francis Bowen
Francis Bowen
Francis Bowen was an American philosopher, writer, and educationalist.-Biography:He was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts. He was educated at Mayhew School, Boston, Phillips Exeter Academy, and Harvard University, graduating from the latter in 1833...
, editor of the North American Review, regarding the war in Hungary. Bowen attacked the Hungarian revolutionists, whom she upheld.
Works
- History of the Constitution of Hungary, published the year before the 1951 visit of Louis Kossuth to the United States (1850)
- Records of an Obscure Man, a novel, published anonymously (1861)
- The Tragedy of Errors and The Tragedy of Success, a dramatic poem in two parts on slavery in the southern United States (1862)
- Memoir of William Lowell Putnam, on her son (1840-1861), who died at Ball's BluffBattle of Ball's BluffThe Battle of Ball's Bluff, also known as the Battle of Harrison’s Island or the Battle of Leesburg, was fought on October 21, 1861, in Loudoun County, Virginia, as part of Union Maj. Gen. George B...
in the Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
(1862) - Fifteen Days (1866)
- Memoir of Charles Lowell, her father (1885)