Grace Fallow Norton ( – ) was an American poet. Though her work is obscure today, in the early 20th century it was praised by poets like

Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloq ...

and

Amy Lowell Amy Lawrence Lowell (February 9, 1874 – May 12, 1925) was an American poet of the imagist school, which promoted a return to classical values. She posthumously won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1926. Life Amy Lowell was born on Febru ...

. Grace Fallow Norton was born on , in

Northfield, Minnesota Northfield is a city in Dakota and Rice counties in the State of Minnesota. It is mostly in Rice County, with a small portion in Dakota County. The population was 20,790 at the 2020 census. History Northfield was platted in 1856 by John W. N ...

, the daughter of Willis H. Norton, founder of the Citizens Bank in Northfield. Her parents died when she was young, and she was raised by relatives. Her family were particularly strict

Congregationalists Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

who disapproved of music, but with the support of her elder sister and her brother-in-law, she was able to study music. Norton studied at

Carleton College Carleton College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. Founded in 1866, it had 2,105 undergraduate students and 269 faculty members in fall 2016. The 200-acre main campus is between Northfield and the 800-acre Cowling ...

Abbot Academy Abbot Academy (also known as Abbot Female Seminary and AA) was an University-preparatory school, independent boarding preparatory school for women boarding and day students in grades 9–12 from 1828 to 1973. Located in Andover, Massachusetts, Abb ...

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, and with teachers in Boston and Berlin. She settled in New York City in 1899. Starting around 1910, her poetry began to appear in leading publications like ''

The Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

The Century Magazine ''The Century Magazine'' was an illustrated monthly magazine first published in the United States in 1881 by The Century Company of New York City, which had been bought in that year by Roswell Smith and renamed by him after the Century Associatio ...

Scribner’s Magazine ''Scribner's Magazine'' was an American periodical published by the publishing house of Charles Scribner's Sons from January 1887 to May 1939. ''Scribner's Magazine'' was the second magazine out of the Scribner's firm, after the publication of ' ...

Harper’s Monthly ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...

, McClure’s'', and ''Poetry'', as well as her friend

Emma Goldman Emma Goldman (June 27, 1869 – May 14, 1940) was a Russian-born anarchist political activist and writer. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of the ...

's anarchist publication, ''

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.'' In 1912 she published her first collection, ''Little Gray Songs from St. Joseph’s'', about a girl dying in a

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

. It was praised by the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' as “a revelation of what genius can do with the ordinary and every-day things of life.” In 1909, she married Herman de Fremery, a curator at the

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 inter ...

, though she continued to publish under her maiden name. She dedicated her first book to him, though their marriage was soon effectively over at the time of its publication. He began a relationship with

Henrietta Rodman Henrietta Rodman (August 29, 1877 – March 21, 1923) was an American educator and feminist. She was active in advocating on behalf of married women teachers for their right to promotion and maternity leave. Early life and education Rodman ...

while she began one with the painter George Herbert Macrum. After their divorce, they both married their new partners. In 1914, she published her second collection, ''The Sister of the Wind,'' which included her best-known work, "Love Is a Terrible Thing." The Marcums travelled to France that May and were stranded first in Brittany, then Cornwall as a result of mobilizations for

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 ...

. They returned to the US in November. Norton published a volume of poetry inspired by her experiences witnessing WWI preparations, ''Roads'', as well as a pamphlet of patriotic verse with a blood-red cover called ''What is Your Legion?'' Norton worked as a translator, resulting in a bestseller, ''The Odyssey of a Torpedoed Transport'' (1917). This novel by Maurice Larrouy purported to be a real series of letters from an anonymous French merchant seaman. The Marcums lived in France in the 1920s and 30s, but returned to America before World War II and settled in Sloatsburg, New York.'''' On a visit to the visitor's gallery above the US Senate chamber in the 1950s, Norton had to be prevented from spitting on the head of Senator

Joseph McCarthy Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarthy became the most visi ...

.''''

Bibliography

* ''Little Gray Songs from St. Joseph's'' (1912) * ''The Sister of the Wind and Other Poems'' (1914) * ''Roads'' (1916) * ''What is Your Legion?'' (1916) * ''The Miller's Youngest Daughter'' (1924)

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Norton, Grace Created via preloaddraft 1876 births 1962 deaths American women poets American World War I poets