Harriet Monroe

Harriet Monroe (December 23, 1860 – September 26, 1936) was an American editor, scholar, literary critic, poet, and patron of the arts. She was the founding publisher and long-time editor of Poetry magazine, which she established in 1912. As a supporter of the poets Wallace Stevens, Ezra Pound, H. D., T. S. Eliot, William Carlos Williams, Carl Sandburg, Max Michelson and others, Monroe played an important role in the development of modern poetry. Her correspondence with early twentieth century poets provides a wealth of information on their thoughts and motives.

Early life and education

Monroe was born in Chicago, Illinois. She read at an early age; her father, a lawyer, had a large library that provided refuge from domestic discord. In her autobiography, A Poet's Life: Seventy Years in a Changing World, published two years after her death, Monroe recalls: "I started in early with Shakespeare, Byron, Shelley, with Dickens and Thackeray; and always the book-lined library gave me a friendly assurance of companionship with lively and interesting people, gave me friends of the spirit to ease my loneliness."

Early writing

In 1879, Monroe graduated from the Visitation Academy located in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C. Her mentor in writing was Mary Paulina Finn, a nun and writer. Sr. Finn published books, plays, and poems as M.S. Pine. Monroe was later recognized as a talented author for her age. Her prose published in 1899 in the Atlantic Monthly, The "Grand Canyon of the Colorado", was considered better poetry than her most notable poem, I love my life.