The ''Quarterly Review of Literature'' (''QRL'') was an American literary magazine founded in 1943 by the poet Theodore (Ted) Weiss (1916–2003) and then Spanish teacher Warren Pendleton Carrier (1918–2009). In 1944, Weiss's wife — Renée Karol Weiss (born 1923), a violinist and, later, an author of children's books — replaced Carrier when he entered the military. The ''Review'' showcased emerging and major writers including

William Carlos Williams William Carlos Williams (September 17, 1883 – March 4, 1963) was an American poet, writer, and physician closely associated with modernism and imagism. In addition to his writing, Williams had a long career as a physician practicing both pedia ...

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E. E. Cummings Edward Estlin Cummings, who was also known as E. E. Cummings, e. e. cummings and e e cummings (October 14, 1894 - September 3, 1962), was an American poet, painter, essayist, author and playwright. He wrote approximately 2,900 poems, two autobi ...

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Mark Van Doren Mark Van Doren (June 13, 1894 – December 10, 1972) was an American poet, writer and critic. He was a scholar and a professor of English at Columbia University for nearly 40 years, where he inspired a generation of influential writers and thin ...

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, and

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, the quarterly is credited with reviving interest in poets who were out of literary fashion, and introducing some that were not widely known to Americans, including

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ...

and Eugenio Montale.

History

Poets Theodore Weiss and Warren Carrier published the first issue of the ''Review,'' ''Volume 1, Issue 1,'' while teaching at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

in the Fall 1943 (December 17, 1943). Renée Weiss, who married Theodore in 1940, replaced Carrier the following year. Renée, like Theodore, had grown up in

Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The city has a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 United ...

. The ''Review'' followed Theodore Weiss throughout his teaching career, moving to

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

in 1966,

Bard College Bard College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains, and is within the Hudson River Historic ...

in 1948, and

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...

in 1966. From 1944 to 1999, as a team, Theodore Weiss handled the poems and Renee Weiss handled prose and business. Entire issues of the ''Review'' had been devoted to poetry, or to a neglected writer, or to foreign writers who had not been translated in this country. The ''Review'' published articles of Kafka never before translated. Prior to 1985, two of the four quarterly issues were devoted to prose and two issues to poetry. But because the Weisses worried about poets, they decided to publish only poetry.''This Little Magazine is a Survivor,'' by Daisy Fitch,

Trenton Evening Times ''The Times'' is a daily newspaper owned by Advance Publications that serves Trenton and the Mercer County, New Jersey area, with a strong focus on the government of New Jersey. The paper had a daily circulation of 77,405, with Sunday circula ...

, January 6, 1985, pg. 85 The final Volumes, ''Nos. 37'' and ''38,'' were published in 1999. The publication archives, including manuscripts and correspondence, are held at the Princeton University Library.

Publication codes

* (

International Standard Serial Number An International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is an eight-digit serial number used to uniquely identify a serial publication, such as a magazine. The ISSN is especially helpful in distinguishing between serials with the same title. ISSNs a ...

)

References

Inline citations {{DEFAULTSORT:Quarterly Review of Literature Poetry magazines published in the United States Quarterly magazines published in the United States Defunct literary magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1943 Magazines disestablished in 1999 Magazines published in New Jersey Poetry publishers