Donald Evans (July 24, 1884 - May 26, 1921) was an American poet, publisher, music critic and journalist.
Biography
Born in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, he worked in newspapers from 1904 to 1915. Evans was educated at
Haverford College
Haverford College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), began accepting non-Quakers in 1849, and became coeducational ...
. He married Leah Winslow in 1907, and later divorced her. A second marriage, to Esther Porter, began in 1918. Evans enlisted to fight in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
in May 1917. He served as a sergeant. Associated with the avant-garde scene of
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
, his works relate a strong sense of irony as well as his own personal
bohemianism
Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people and with few permanent ties. It involves musical, artistic, literary, or spiritual pursuits. In this context, bohemians may be wanderers, a ...
, coupled with the deep influence of 1890s aestheticism.
Somewhat comparable to fellow bohemian poet
Maxwell Bodenheim
Maxwell Bodenheim (May 26, 1892 – February 6, 1954) was an American poet and novelist. A literary figure in Chicago, he later went to New York where he became known as the King of Greenwich Village Bohemians. His writing brought him intern ...
, many stories about his bohemian lifestyle circulated. Evans single-handedly founded and managed the Claire Marie press, intending to publish "New Books for Exotic Tastes". He stated its goals as thus, "Claire Marie believes there are in America seven hundred civilized people only. Claire Marie publishes books for civilized people only. Claire Marie's aim, it follows from the premises, is not even secondarily commercial." Evans was an early admirer of Gertrude Stein. He first published her ''Tender Buttons'' in 1914. Evans was also close to
Wallace Stevens
Wallace Stevens (October 2, 1879 – August 2, 1955) was an American modernist poet. He was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, educated at Harvard and then New York Law School, and spent most of his life working as an executive for an insurance compa ...
; it is said that the two planned to write a book of
one-line poems together.
His works include 1914's ''Sonnets from the Patagonian'', 1916's ''Two Deaths in the Bronx'' and 1919's ''Ironica''. It is suspected that Evans' death in 1921 was a suicide.
[Zaturenska, Marya & Horace Gregory. ''A History of American Poetry, 1900-1940''. Page 255. Brace and Harcourt, 1946.]
Bibliography
*''Discords'' (1912
*''Sonnets from the Patagonian'' (1914
*''Two Deaths in the Bronx'' (1916
*''Nine Poems From a Valetudinarian'' (1916
*''Ironica'' (1919
Notes
References
*Cook, Howard Willard. ''Our Poets of Today''. Moffat, Yard & Company, 1918.
External links
*
*
*
Poems by Donald Evans at Poetry Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Donald (Poet)
1884 births
1921 deaths
20th-century American poets
1921 suicides
Suicides in the United States