Robert Claiborne
Encyclopedia
Robert Watson Claiborne, Jr. (1919–1990) American folk singer
, labor organizer and writer
.
, was a folk singer and union organizer in the 1940s and 1950s. He travelled and performed with such luminaries as Pete Seeger
, Woody Guthrie
, Leadbelly
and others. Along with his first wife, Adrienne Claiborne, he wrote the song Listen Mr. Bilbo and several others, and hosted a folk radio show for a time.
As the Claibornes started a family, they both turned to writing to support it. Robert became an editor at Scientific American
, only to lose his job in 1960 after the FBI visited and pointed out to the senior staff that he had had been called before the House Un-American Activities Committee
hearings as an ex-communist, and had refused to testify. They also pointed out that he was agitating against the then nascent Vietnam War
, something often frowned upon in the early 1960s. In 1968, he signed the “Writers and Editors War Tax Protest” pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War.
After losing his job, Claiborne found bread and butter work writing and editing some of the famous Time-Life
series of science books. Among those he was a primary contributor to were The First Americans, The Birth of Writing, and Time
. He also wrote a column for many years for Hospital Practice magazine. And he wrote or edited sections of highly-technical textbooks like Cell Membranes.
In the mid-sixties, he divorced and remarried, to short story writer, novelist and political activist Sybil Claiborne
.
.
During this period, Claiborne also wrote books on amateur astronomy
(The Summer Stargazer) and marine biology
, man's impact on the marine eco-system, and its impact on his development (On Every Side of the Sea), as well as several others.
Late in life, Claiborne turned to another life-long interest: linguistics
in general and the English language in particular. His Our Marvelous Native Tongue (also called The Life and Times of the English Language) is a well-known book about the origins and evolution of English, spanning subjects as diverse as the Indo-Europeans
, the Saxons
, the King James Bible, Pidgin English
, and African American Vernacular English
(also called 'Ebonics').
During this late period, he also produced Saying What You Mean, a practical guide for writers, the less well-received Roots of English, which included a fascinating 're-assembled' hypothetical Indo-European dictionary, and Loose Cannons and Red Herrings: a book of lost metaphors, about metaphors that have merged into common usage to the point that the source of their meaning is obscured.
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, labor organizer 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....
.
Overview
Robert Claiborne, grandson of John Herbert ClaiborneJohn Herbert Claiborne
Dr. John Herbert Claiborne was a prominent Virginia politician and a leading medical administrator commanding a series of hospitals serving wounded Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War....
, was a folk singer and union organizer in the 1940s and 1950s. He travelled and performed with such luminaries as Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
, Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
, Leadbelly
Leadbelly
Huddie William Ledbetter was an iconic American folk and blues musician, notable for his strong vocals, his virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the songbook of folk standards he introduced....
and others. Along with his first wife, Adrienne Claiborne, he wrote the song Listen Mr. Bilbo and several others, and hosted a folk radio show for a time.
As the Claibornes started a family, they both turned to writing to support it. Robert became an editor at Scientific American
Scientific American
Scientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
, only to lose his job in 1960 after the FBI visited and pointed out to the senior staff that he had had been called before the House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
hearings as an ex-communist, and had refused to testify. They also pointed out that he was agitating against the then nascent Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, something often frowned upon in the early 1960s. In 1968, he signed the “Writers and Editors War Tax Protest” pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War.
After losing his job, Claiborne found bread and butter work writing and editing some of the famous Time-Life
Time-Life
Time–Life is a creator and direct marketer of books, music, video/DVD, and multimedia products. Its products are sold throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia through television, print, retail, the Internet, telemarketing, and direct sales....
series of science books. Among those he was a primary contributor to were The First Americans, The Birth of Writing, and Time
Life Science Library
The Life Science Library was a popular series of hardbound books published by Time-Life between 1963 and 1967. Each of the 26 volumes explored a major topic of the natural sciences. They were intended for, and written at a level appropriate to, an educated lay readership...
. He also wrote a column for many years for Hospital Practice magazine. And he wrote or edited sections of highly-technical textbooks like Cell Membranes.
In the mid-sixties, he divorced and remarried, to short story writer, novelist and political activist Sybil Claiborne
Sybil Claiborne
Sybil Claiborne was a novelist, short story writer, and antiwar activist, published stories in magazines like The New Yorker and Esquire. Some of her writing was the basis for a program of comedy-dramas performed in Manhattan in 1978 at Symphony Space...
.
Science and linguistics
Starting in the 1970's, Claiborne embarked on a series of independent book projects again focusing on science for the layman. One of the first: Climate, Man and History, was translated into many languages and became a seminal work in the canon of climate-anthropology. Another, God or Beast was also well received. The two of these together formed part of a matrix of work by many 'popular science' authors in the 1970s and 1980s that was at least partly responsible for the genesis of later popular science blockbusters by other authors, like the recent Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared DiamondJared Diamond
Jared Mason Diamond is an American scientist and author whose work draws from a variety of fields. He is currently Professor of Geography and Physiology at UCLA...
.
During this period, Claiborne also wrote books on amateur astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
(The Summer Stargazer) and marine biology
Marine biology
Marine biology is the scientific study of organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather...
, man's impact on the marine eco-system, and its impact on his development (On Every Side of the Sea), as well as several others.
Late in life, Claiborne turned to another life-long interest: linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
in general and the English language in particular. His Our Marvelous Native Tongue (also called The Life and Times of the English Language) is a well-known book about the origins and evolution of English, spanning subjects as diverse as the Indo-Europeans
Proto-Indo-Europeans
The Proto-Indo-Europeans were the speakers of the Proto-Indo-European language , a reconstructed prehistoric language of Eurasia.Knowledge of them comes chiefly from the linguistic reconstruction, along with material evidence from archaeology and archaeogenetics...
, the Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
, the King James Bible, Pidgin English
Pidgin English
Pidgin English is a non-specific name used to refer to any of the many pidgin languages derived from English. English-based pidgins include:*American Indian Pidgin English*Bislama...
, and African American Vernacular English
African American Vernacular English
African American Vernacular English —also called African American English; less precisely Black English, Black Vernacular, Black English Vernacular , or Black Vernacular English —is an African American variety of American English...
(also called 'Ebonics').
During this late period, he also produced Saying What You Mean, a practical guide for writers, the less well-received Roots of English, which included a fascinating 're-assembled' hypothetical Indo-European dictionary, and Loose Cannons and Red Herrings: a book of lost metaphors, about metaphors that have merged into common usage to the point that the source of their meaning is obscured.