With its proximity to the cultural hub of New York City and its quieter suburban and rural landscapes, Connecticut was fertile ground for artists and writers in the period of Modernist movements between 1913 and 1979. Many of these cultural figures are well known through biographical and critical studies. Creative Places seeks to show how place played a significant role in creative work, and how in turn the artists and writers influenced communities in Connecticut.
Matthew Josephson
Journalism/Non-Fiction
1899 – 1978
Editor, journalist and biographer.
- Biography/Description of Work
Matthew Josephson was born in New York, married in 1920, and shortly after moved to Paris where he was associate editor of “Broom” magazine through 1924. Upon his return to the States in the late 1920s, he became editor of the Paris-based magazine, “transition.” Josephson wrote his first book in the 1920s, a biography on Emile Zola called, “Zola and His Time: The History of His Martial Career in Letters,” but it wasn’t published until 1928. In 1929, he purchased a house on Church Road in Sherman, but maintained an apartment in New York City, until making Sherman his permanent home during the 1930s and 1940s. In the 1940s, he wrote biographies on Victor Hugo and Stendhal. He is most known for his book, “The Robber Barons: The Great American Capitalists, 1861-1901” which was published in 1934. Later in life, Josephson wrote “The Money Lords: The Great Finance Capitalists, 1925-1950” which was published in 1972. While living in Connecticut, Josephson had a studio on his property, initially in the house and later in a small outbuilding.
- Sources view
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Josephson, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/306458/Matthew-Josephson, http://www.nndb.com/people/099/000047955/
Rachel Carley Files, Matthew Josephson Article - New York Times - 1930-6-29, Matthew Josephson Article - New York Times - 1972-12-31, Matthew Josephson Article - New York Times - 1981-5-10, Matthew Josephson Article - The Hartford Courant - 1930-6-15, Matthew Josephson Obituary - New York Times - 1978-3-14, Matthew Josephson Wife Obituary - The Hartford Courant - 1976-11-1 - Associated Resource(s)