Sheri Martinelli
Encyclopedia
Sheri Martinelli, was an American painter, muse and poet.
Sheri Martinelli was a protégée of Anaïs Nin
and is described at length in Nin's infamous Diary; she was the basis for Esme, a major character in William Gaddis
’s novel The Recognitions
, and then became the long-time muse and mistress of Ezra Pound
in Washington, D.C. (she appears in various guises in the later Cantos); Charlie Parker
and the members of the Modern Jazz Quartet
hung out at her Greenwich Village
apartment; Marlon Brando
was an admirer and Rod Steiger
collected her art, as did E. E. Cummings
; she knew and was admired by all the Beats - Ginsberg
was an especially close friend and mentions her in one of his poems- and she was known in San Francisco in the late 1950s as Queen of the Beats; H.D.
identified with her and wrote about her in End to Torment; Pound
wrote the introduction to a book of her paintings, and her art is now in collections throughout the world. She wrote unusual prose and poetry, much of it published in her own magazine, the Anagogic & Paideumic Review. She was one of the first to publish Bukowski
, and her magazine was the very first to review his work.
In recent years, she has appeared under the pseudonym "Sheri Donatti" in Anatole Broyard
’s Kafka Was the Rage, under her own name in David Markson
’s novel Reader’s Block, as "Lady Carey" in Larry McMurty's 1995 novel Dead Man's Walk
, and she was anthologized in Richard Peabody
’s A Different Beat. When younger, she modeled frequently for Vogue and also appeared in one of Maya Deren
’s experimental films."
Life
Martinelli was born Shirley Burns Brennan in Philadelphia in 1918. Of Irish ancestry, she was the eldest of four children and began using the name Sherry by the time she was a teenager. Later told that her first name had the wrong numerological value, she modified it to Sheri. The name Martinelli came by way of a brief early marriage to painter Ezio Martinelli, by whom she had a daughter Shelley (named after the poet) in 1943.Sheri Martinelli was a protégée of Anaïs Nin
Anaïs Nin
Anaïs Nin was a French-Cuban author, based at first in France and later in the United States, who published her journals, which span more than 60 years, beginning when she was 11 years old and ending shortly before her death, her erotic literature, and short stories...
and is described at length in Nin's infamous Diary; she was the basis for Esme, a major character in William Gaddis
William Gaddis
William Thomas Gaddis, Jr. was an American novelist. He wrote five novels, two of which won National Book Awards and one of which, The Recognitions , was chosen as one of TIME magazine's 100 best novels from 1923 to 2005...
’s novel The Recognitions
The Recognitions
The Recognitions, published in 1955, is American author William Gaddis's first novel. The novel was poorly received initially, but Gaddis's reputation grew, twenty years later, with the publication of his second novel J R , and The Recognitions received belated fame as a masterpiece of American...
, and then became the long-time muse and mistress of Ezra Pound
Ezra Pound
Ezra Weston Loomis Pound was an American expatriate poet and critic and a major figure in the early modernist movement in poetry...
in Washington, D.C. (she appears in various guises in the later Cantos); Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
and the members of the Modern Jazz Quartet
Modern Jazz Quartet
The Modern Jazz Quartet was established in 1952 by Milt Jackson , John Lewis , Percy Heath , and Kenny Clarke . Connie Kay replaced Clarke in 1955...
hung out at her 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...
apartment; Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
was an admirer and Rod Steiger
Rod Steiger
Rodney Stephen "Rod" Steiger was an Academy Award-winning American actor known for his performances in such films as On the Waterfront, The Big Knife, Oklahoma!, The Harder They Fall, Across the Bridge, The Pawnbroker, Doctor Zhivago, In the Heat of the Night, and Waterloo as well as the...
collected her art, as did E. E. Cummings
E. E. Cummings
Edward Estlin Cummings , popularly known as E. E. Cummings, with the abbreviated form of his name often written by others in lowercase letters as e.e. cummings , was an American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright...
; she knew and was admired by all the Beats - Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
was an especially close friend and mentions her in one of his poems- and she was known in San Francisco in the late 1950s as Queen of the Beats; H.D.
H.D.
H.D. was an American poet, novelist and memoirist known for her association with the early 20th century avant-garde Imagist group of poets such as Ezra Pound and Richard Aldington...
identified with her and wrote about her in End to Torment; Pound
Ezra Pound
Ezra Weston Loomis Pound was an American expatriate poet and critic and a major figure in the early modernist movement in poetry...
wrote the introduction to a book of her paintings, and her art is now in collections throughout the world. She wrote unusual prose and poetry, much of it published in her own magazine, the Anagogic & Paideumic Review. She was one of the first to publish Bukowski
Charles Bukowski
Henry Charles Bukowski was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles...
, and her magazine was the very first to review his work.
In recent years, she has appeared under the pseudonym "Sheri Donatti" in Anatole Broyard
Anatole Broyard
Anatole Paul Broyard was an American writer, literary critic and editor for The New York Times. In addition to his many reviews and columns, he published short stories, essays and two books during his lifetime...
’s Kafka Was the Rage, under her own name in David Markson
David Markson
David Markson was an American novelist, born David Merrill Markson in Albany, New York. He is the author of several postmodern novels, including Springer's Progress, Wittgenstein's Mistress, and Reader's Block...
’s novel Reader’s Block, as "Lady Carey" in Larry McMurty's 1995 novel Dead Man's Walk
Dead Man's Walk
Dead Man's Walk is a 1995 novel by Larry McMurtry. It is the third book published in the Lonesome Dove series, but the first installment in terms of chronology. McMurtry wrote a fourth segment to the Lonesome Dove chronicle, Comanche Moon, which describes the events of the central characters' lives...
, and she was anthologized in Richard Peabody
Richard Peabody
Richard Peabody is an author and poet based in Washington, D.C. A native of the region, he received a B.A. in English from the University of Maryland in 1973 and a M.A. in Literature from American University in 1975....
’s A Different Beat. When younger, she modeled frequently for Vogue and also appeared in one of Maya Deren
Maya Deren
Maya Deren , born Eleanora Derenkowsky, was an American avant-garde filmmaker and film theorist of the 1940s and 1950s...
’s experimental films."