Max Michelson

Max Michelson (1880–1953) was an American, imagist poet closely associated with Harriet Monroe and Poetry magazine.

Life and career

Michelson was a childhood immigrant to America from Lithuania and settled in Chicago, working as a furrier. Later, in 1920 he moved to Seattle, 'soon after his arrival there, a mental hospital had to be his refuge'[1] and there he was to stay until he died, in obscurity, in 1953.[2]

Michelson, in addition to becoming an Imagist poet, reviewed poetry for the noted Poetry magazine.[3] Harriet Monroe, the editor thereof said of Michelson 'he was a fine poet, a fine artist, offering deep searching in the beauty and mystery of life, always with a sure touch upon his finely tuned instrument, poetic rhythms of accurately responsive beauty,[4] ' a furrier whose exquisite sensibility transcended the demands of his trade, and finding Michelson's delicate talent, quiet presence, helpful in the office routine and his judgement of new poets, suggestive'.[5] Monroe, later, included five of Michelson's early poems in her 1918 'New Poetry - an anthology'[6] and published in Poetry his 'The Tired Woman' - a ' present day myth play.[7] Michelson's Imagist poem 'Midnight' was included in William Pratt's acclaimed anthology of Imagist poetry, ' The Imagist Poem - Modern Poetry in Miniature, 1963.[8]

See also

  • The Extant Poetry and Prose of Max Michelson,Imagist[9]
  • 'The Tired Woman' a present-day myth play. (1918)

References

  1. ^ Monroe, Harriet, 'A Poet's Life'Macmillan ,New York, 1938
  2. ^ Michelson, Peter, Essay 'Tagore to Max' in The Art of Friction ed. Charles Blackstone and Jill Talbot University of Texas Press 2008 ISBN 9780292718913
  3. ^ Poetry Review, Vol. 8 No 5 August 1916
  4. ^ Monroe, Harriet Review of 'Others for 1919-An Anthology of New Verse' by Alfred Kreymborg,Poetry, Vol 17, no 3, December 1920
  5. ^ Monroe, Harriet, 'A Poets's Life', Macmillan, New York, 1938
  6. ^ 'The New Poetry - an Anthology' ed.Harriet Monroe and Alice Corbin Henderson, Macmillan New York, 1918
  7. ^ Monroe, Harriet, 'A Poet's Life, Macmillan, New York, 1938
  8. ^ Pratt, William ed.'Modern Poetry' UNO Press, New Orleans ,ISBN 9780292718913
  9. ^ Michelson, Peter ed.' The Extant Poetry and Prose of Max Michelson, Imagist' Edwin Mellen Press, 2000 ISBN 9780773478060-
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