Helen Archibald Clarke (November 13, 1860 – February 8, 1926) was an American literary critic, book editor, composer and lyricist, and the co-founder of the journal '' Poet Lore''. She was influential in shaping the American literary taste of her day through her work on ''Poet Lore'', through her work co-editing the complete works of the British poets Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and through her books on writers such as

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...

and

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely tran ...

Education

Helen Archibald Clarke was born in 1860 in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, Pennsylvania, to Jane Maria Searle and

Hugh Archibald Clarke Hugh Archibald Clarke (August 15, 1839 – December 16, 1927) was a Canadian composer, organist, and music teacher. Early life Hugh Archibald Clarke was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1839.University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, and Clarke showed early aptitude for music herself. At the time, the university did not admit women, but Clarke attended for two years as a special student, earning a certificate in music in 1883. In the early 1880s, Clarke submitted an article on music in the work of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

to the journal ''Shakespeariana'', then under the editorship of Charlotte Endymion Porter (1857–1942). Clarke and Porter became life partners and collaborated on a number of literary projects during the remainder of Clarke's life.

''Poet Lore''

In 1889, Clarke and Porter founded the quarterly journal ''Poet Lore'' in Philadelphia, later moving it to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. Its stated aim was to champion the "comparative study of literature" and the work of Shakespeare and Robert Browning. After the first few years, the journal's focus on writing about Shakespeare and Browning shifted to encompass a broader view of world literature. In keeping with its mission, the magazine published few American writers but many from around the world, often in translation. ''Poet Lore'' helped introduce American readers to the work of such early modern writers as Henrik Ibsen,

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

, Gabriele D'Annunzio,

Selma Lagerlöf Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf (, , ; 20 November 1858 – 16 March 1940) was a Swedish author. She published her first novel, '' Gösta Berling's Saga'', at the age of 33. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, which she wa ...

Gerhart Hauptmann Gerhart Johann Robert Hauptmann (; 15 November 1862 – 6 June 1946) was a German dramatist and novelist. He is counted among the most important promoters of literary naturalism, though he integrated other styles into his work as well. He rece ...

Maxim Gorky Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Макси́мович Пешко́в; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (russian: Макси́м Го́рький, link=no), was a Russian writer and social ...

Maurice Maeterlinck Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (29 August 1862 – 6 May 1949), also known as Count (or Comte) Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was Flemish but wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in ...

Arthur Schnitzler Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist. Biography Arthur Schnitzler was born at Praterstrasse 16, Leopoldstadt, Vienna, capital of the Austrian Empire (as of 1867, part of the dual monarchy ...

, and

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

. Porter and Clarke sold ''Poet Lore'' in 1903 but continued for many years as editors. ''Poet Lore'' is still in print, the oldest continuing poetry magazine in the United States.

Authorship

Clarke co-edited (with Porter) editions of the complete works of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. She wrote several books about Browning and about American writers like Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Together with Porter, she published ''Clever Tales'' (1897), a book of translations of European authors like

Villiers de L'Isle Adam Jean-Marie-Mathias-Philippe-Auguste, comte de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam (7 November 1838 – 19 August 1889) was a French symbolism (arts), symbolist writer. His family called him Mathias while his friends called him Villiers; he would also use t ...

Ludovic Halévy Ludovic Halévy (1 January 1834 – 7 May 1908) was a French author and playwright, best known for his collaborations with Henri Meilhac on Georges Bizet's '' Carmen'' and on the works of Jacques Offenbach. Biography Ludovic Halévy was born in ...

Vsevolod Garshin Vsevolod Mikhailovich Garshin (russian: Всеволод Михайлович Гаршин; 14 February 1855 — 5 April 1888) was a Russian author of short stories. Life Garshin was the son of an officer, from a family tracing its roots back ...

Jakub Arbes Jakub Arbes (12 June 1840, Prague ( Smíchov) – 8 April 1914) was a Czech writer and intellectual. He is best known as the creator of the literary genre called '' romanetto'' and spent much of his professional life in France. Life and Polit ...

, and Strindberg. She also wrote cantatas and

operettas Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

for children, as well as the lyrics for ''Gethsemane'', a choral

rhapsody Rhapsody may refer to: * A work of epic poetry, or part of one, that is suitable for recitation at one time ** Rhapsode, a classical Greek professional performer of epic poetry Computer software * Rhapsody (online music service), an online m ...

by the composer

Gustav Strube Gustav Strube (3 March 1867 – 2 February 1953) was a German-born conductor and composer. He was the founding conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in 1916, and taught at the Peabody Conservatory. He wrote two operas, ''Ramona'', which ...

. In 1899, her stage version of Robert Browning's ''Pippa Passes'' was produced in Boston. Clarke was a member of several societies in the Boston area, including the Boston Browning Society and the Boston Authors Club, and part of the founding coalition of the American Music Society of Boston Clarke died in Boston in 1926.

Books

;As author * ''Apparitions'' (1892; songs) * ''Study Programmes: Robert Browning'' (1900, with Porter) * ''Shakespeare Studies: Macbeth'' (1901, with Porter) * ''Browning's Italy'' (1907) * ''Browning's England'' (1908) * ''A Child's Guide to Mythology'' (1908) * ''Longfellow's Country'' (1909) * ''Hawthorne's Country'' (1910) * ''The Poets' New England'' (1911) * ''Browning and His Century'' (1912) * ''Shakespeare Study Programs: The Comedies'' (1914, with Porter) ;As translator * ''Clever Tales'' (1897, with Porter) ;As editor * Browning, Robert. ''The Complete Works of Robert Browning''. New York: Kelmscott Society and Thos. Y. Crowell, 1898 (with Porter; 12 volumes) * Browning, Elizabeth Barrett. ''Works: The Complete Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning''. New York: Thos. Y. Crowell, 1900 (with Porter; 6 volumes)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Helen A. 1860 births 1926 deaths American magazine founders American magazine editors American composers Writers from Philadelphia 19th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American women writers 19th-century American women writers American women non-fiction writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers Women magazine editors 19th-century American translators