Alfred Kazin: A Biography PDF
Preview Alfred Kazin: A Biography
Alfred Kazin This page intentionally left blank Alfred Kazin A Biography richard m. cook Yale University Press New Haven & London Disclaimer: Some images in the printed version of this book are not available for inclusion in the eBook. Copyright ∫ 2007 by Richard Cook. All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, including illustrations, in any form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public press), without written permission from the publishers. Designed by James J. Johnson and set in New Caledonia Roman by Keystone Typesetting, Inc. Printed in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cook, Richard M., 1941– Alfred Kazin : a biography / Richard M. Cook. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. isbn 978-0-300-11505-5 (alk. paper) 1. Kazin, Alfred, 1915–1998. 2. American literature—History and criticism—Theory, etc. 3. Criticism—United States—History—20th century. 4. Criticism—United States—History—20th century. 5. United States—Intellectual life—20th century. 6. Critics—United States—Biography. I. Title. ps29.k38a3 2007 809—dc22 [b] 2007019874 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To Sylvia, Rachel, and Rebecca This page intentionally left blank Contents Illustrations follow page 182 Acknowledgments, ix chapter 1. Brownsville, 1 chapter 2. The Thirties: Starting Out, 21 chapter 3. The Thirties: On Native Grounds, 39 chapter 4. The Break (1942–1945), 72 chapter 5. After the Apocalypse (1945–1950), 107 chapter 6. A Walker in the City, 146 chapter 7. Living in the Fifties (1951–1958), 168 chapter 8. The Writer in the World: Part 1 (1958–1963), 209 chapter 9. The Writer in the World: Part 2 (1963–1970), 251 chapter 10. New York Jew (1970–1978), 294 chapter 11. A New Life (1978–1984), 325 chapter 12. Politics, 351 chapter 13. ‘‘The End of Things’’ (1984–1998), 376 Notes, 413 Index, 441 This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgments I am indebted to many people for help with this book, including, especially, the late Alfred Kazin. He granted me many interviews, helped me obtain copies of his journals, and wrote lengthy letters answering my questions. Since his death in 1998, his widow, Judith Dunford, has been helpful in every imaginable way. Without her cooperation, support, and encourage- ment, this book would could not have been written. Michael and Cathrael Kazin were both forthcoming and generous with their time, answering my questions about their father and providing me with valuable correspon- dence. I am grateful to a number of people for granting me interviews and making material available to me: Ann Birstein, Daniel and Pearl Bell, Daniel Aaron, Saul Bellow, Mary Beth McMahon, Morris Dickstein, Jack- son Bryer, Irving Kristol, Nathan Glazer, Norman Podhoretz, Daniel Born, Joseph Epstein, Peter Davison, Robert Giroux, Gerald Sorin, Anne Fadi- man, Jonathan Rosen, and Louis Menand. I thank the following for granting me permission to quote from letters to Alfred Kazin: Elizabeth Hardwick, Philip Roth, Herbert Mitgang, Robert Cowley, Marcia Adams, Robert Wojtowicz, Katrin Geller, Peter Stimson Brooks, Betty T. Rahv, Mary Powlesland Commager, and Neil Kosodoy. I am particularly grateful to Morris Dickstein for reading some of the chapters and offering sound advice. My colleague Joseph Carroll not only read the chapters as they were being written, he reread them and provided critical and moral support when I most needed it.
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