Edmund Wilson
Edmund Wilson
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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Edmund Wilson was a renowned American critic, essayist, and editor, commonly known by his initials E.W.
Birth and Death Dates
Born on May 8, 1895, in Red Bank, New Jersey, Wilson passed away on June 12, 1972, in Talcottville, New York.
Nationality and Profession(s)
Wilson was an American writer, critic, and editor. He is often regarded as one of the most important literary critics of the 20th century.
Early Life and Background
Edmund Wilson grew up in a family that valued literature and learning. His father, Edward Meredith Wilson, was a lawyer, while his mother, Helen McWilliams Wilson, was an artist and writer. Wilson's early life was marked by a strong interest in reading and writing. He attended Hill School, a prep school in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, before enrolling at Princeton University.
Education
Wilson graduated from Princeton University in 1916 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. However, due to World War I, he did not pursue further education immediately. Instead, he worked as an editor for the _New Republic_ magazine and later joined the U.S. Army, where he served until the end of the war.
Major Accomplishments
Edmund Wilson's literary career spanned over six decades, during which he made significant contributions to American literature. Some of his notable accomplishments include:
Editor of the _The New Republic_ magazine from 1920 to 1936
Contributing editor for the _Partisan Review_ magazine
* Winner of the National Book Award in 1947 for his book, _To the Finland Station_
Notable Works or Actions
Edmund Wilson's literary output is vast and varied. Some of his notable works include:
To the Finland Station (1940)
Wilson's influential non-fiction work, _To the Finland Station_, explores the impact of Marxism on Russian history. The book provides a nuanced analysis of Marxist thought and its relationship to revolutionary movements.
Impact and Legacy
Edmund Wilson's impact on American literature is immeasurable. He was a leading figure in the development of literary criticism in the 20th century, and his work continues to influence writers and scholars today. His critiques of modern society and politics remain relevant, offering insights into the complexities of human experience.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Edmund Wilson's writings continue to be widely quoted due to their insight, wit, and intellectual rigor. His ability to bridge the gap between literary analysis and social commentary has made his work timeless and thought-provoking.
Quotes by Edmund Wilson
If I could only remember that the days were, not bricks to be laid row on row, to be built into a solid house, where one might dwell in safety and peace, but only food for the fires of the heart.
If I could only remember that the days were not bricks to be laid row on row, to be built into a solid house, where one might dwell in safety and peace, but only food for the fires of the heart, the fires which keep the poet alive as the citizen never lives, but which burn all the roofs of security!
One didn’t really believe till one saw it demonstrated that giving oneself up completely to art, to emotion, to enjoyment, without planning for the future or counting the cost, produced dreadful disabilities and bankruptcies later.
I really can’t stand any more to pay for a burst of animation when someone comes in for drinks with a depressed and low-keyed next day, in which I have to go around on my hands and knees.
From the moment a New Yorker is confronted with almost any large city of Europe, it is impossible for him to pretend to himself that his own city is anything other than an unscrupulous real-estate speculation.
The product of the scientific imagination is a new vision of relations – like that of artistic imagination.
The product of the scientific imagination is a new vision of relations -- like that of artistic imagination.
A young poet in America should not be advised at the outset to give up all for the Muse-to seclude himself in the country, to live hand from mouth in Greenwich Village or to escape to the Riviera. I should not advise him even to become a magazine editor or work in a publisher's office. The poet would do better to study a profession, to become a banker or a public official or even to go in for the movies.
In a sense, one can never read the book that the author originally wrote, and one can never read the same book twice.