Margaret Larkin (July 7, 1899 – May 7, 1967) was an American writer, poet, singer-songwriter, researcher, journalist and union activist. She wrote ''The Hand of Mordechai'' on a

kibbutz A kibbutz ( he, קִבּוּץ / , lit. "gathering, clustering"; plural: kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1909, was Degania. Today, farming h ...

in Israel and its stand against the Egyptian Army in 1948, ''Seven Shares in a Gold Mine'' about a murder conspiracy in Mexico, and the ''Singing Cowboy'', a collection of Western folk songs. She won awards for her poem ''Goodbye—To My Mother'' and her play ''El Cristo''.

Life

Larkin was born on July 7, 1899 in Las Vegas, New Mexico to parents from English and Scottish descent. She studied at the University of Kansas."Margaret Larkin, writer, 67, dead"
'' New York Times'' May 11, 1967. In 1922 she won the Poetry Prize of the Kansas Author Club. After moving to the East Coast, she married Liston Oak and became a trade union activist. In 1926 she wrote the titles of the silent film '' The Passaic Textile Strike''. In the thirties she was active as a singer/songwriter and composer of folk songs. After divorcing her first husband she met writer Albert Maltz in 1935. Maltz was 9 years younger. They married in 1937. Maltz was blacklisted as one of the Hollywood Ten due to his refusal to tell the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly dubbed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloy ...

whether he was a member of the American Communist Party. Larkin, her husband, their son Peter and daughter Katherine moved to Mexico City in 1951. In 1964 they were officially divorced, after Maltz had already returned to the United States. Larkin assisted anthropologist Oscar Lewis in the research and writing of '' La vida: a Puerto Rican family in the culture of poverty--San Juan and New York'' (1966). Her last book was ''The Hand of Mordechai'', on kibbutz Yad Mordechai around the

1947–1949 Palestine war The 1948 Palestine war was fought in the territory of what had been, at the start of the war, British-ruled Mandatory Palestine. It is known in Israel as the War of Independence ( he, מלחמת העצמאות, ''Milkhemet Ha'Atzma'ut'') and ...

. It was published in Hebrew (1966),

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

(1967), English (1968), German (1970), and Russian (197?). The Israeli edition was published by Ma'arachot, the official publishing house of the Israeli Defense Forces, with a preface by General Haim Laskov. Larkin was represented by the literary agent Barthold Fles. Margareth Larkin died in Mexico City on May 7, 1967, aged 67. Her son Peter also died in Mexico City. Her sole granddaughter, Gabriela Maltz Larkin, is an actress and production manager, more recently as Mira Larkin.

Bibliography

Books

* 1926
El Cristo, a drama in one act
* 1931
''Singing Cowboy, a book of western songs''
* 1958
''Seven Shares in a Gold Mine''
* 1966
''The Hand of Mordechai''
(a.k.a. The Six Days of Yad Mordechai)

Poetry

* 1922 - "Goodbye—To My Mother" in The Poets of the Future, A College Anthology for 1921-1922: 156 * 1924 - "Four Poems", ''The Midlands'' 10: 385.

Articles

* 1927-03 - "A Poet for the People: A Review" (of

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hug ...

: Fine Clothes to the Jew), ''Opportunity'' 3: 84-85. * 1929-10-09 -
Ella May's Songs
. '' The Nation'' 129 (3353): 382-383. * 1933-02 - "Revolutionary music", ''New Masses'': 27. * 1934-09-05 -
Beale Street: Where the Blues Began (Book review)
. ''The Nation'' 139 (3609): 279. * 1966-11-14 - "As Many as God Sends? Family Planning in Mexico", ''The Nation'' 203 (16): 508-511.

Filmography

* 1926 - The Passaic Textile Strike - title writer

Awards

* 1922 - Best Poem submitted to the Kansas Authors' Club for ''Goodbye—To My Mother'' * 1926 - David Belasco Cup for ''El Cristo'' * 1926 - Samuel French Prize for ''El Cristo''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Larkin, Margaret 1899 births 1967 deaths American women trade unionists American expatriates in Mexico American people of English descent American people of Scottish descent American singer-songwriters University of Kansas alumni Writers from New Mexico American women poets American women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American singers People from Las Vegas, New Mexico Trade unionists from New Mexico American folk-song collectors