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.
Maxwell E. Perkins
Patronage
1884 – 1947
Perkins had a lasting influence on both the role of a book editor, redefining it to include a personal relationship and coaching role with authors, and on the careers of writers he discovered or encouraged, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and Tom Wolfe. In this way he helped define the course of 20th century literature.
- Biography/Description of Work
After starting out in economics, with a degree from Harvard, Perkins realized the power of written words, and turned to journalism, taking a job as reporter at the New York Times in 1907. Three years later he was hired by Charles Scribner’s Sons as an advertising editor, a position he traded in 1914 for the editorial department, becoming editor in chief in 1930. He had moved his family to New Canaan in 1924, and commuted into New York City for his work at Scribner’s for the next twenty-two years.
- Sources view
- CPN Literary Connecticut Nov/Dec 2007, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell_Perkins, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/452151/Maxwell-Perkins, Maxwell Perkins Article - New York Times - 1950-3-26, Maxwell Perkins Article - New York Times - 1978-2-24, Maxwell Perkins Daughter Wedding Announcement - New York Times - 1936-9-27, Maxwell Perkins Obituary - New York Times - 1947-6-18
Cunningham, Jan, Maxwell E. Perkins House National Register Nomination No. 04000415, National Park Service, 2004 - Associated Resource(s)