Sara Powell Haardt (March 1, 1898 – May 31, 1935) was an American author and professor of English literature. Though she died at the age of 37 of meningitis, she produced a considerable body of work including newspaper reviews, articles, essays, a novel ''The Making of a Lady'', several screenplays and over 50 short stories. She is central to John Barton Wolgamot's notorious book-length poem, ''In Sara Mencken, Christ and Beethoven there were men and women'' (1944), recorded by the composer

Robert Ashley Robert Reynolds Ashley (March 28, 1930 – March 3, 2014) was an American composer, who was best known for his television operas and other theatrical works, many of which incorporate electronics and extended techniques. His works often involve i ...

Early life and education

Sara Powell Haardt was born March 1, 1898, to Venetia (Hall) Haardt and

German American German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unit ...

John Anton Haardt in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

, the eldest of five children. She attended the Margaret Booth School. In 1920, she graduated

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ar ...

from Goucher College in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

, Maryland. While still an undergraduate at Goucher, she had become a professional writer, writing for literary reviews and popular periodicals.

Career

She was immediately hired to teach at Goucher College in the English Department upon graduation. She became the head of the Alabama branch of the National Woman's Party, where she led the unsuccessful fight to have the Alabama Legislature ratify the 19th Amendment. In 1923, she met fellow Baltimore writer H. L. Mencken. Despite his widely known opposition to the institution of marriage, and his criticism of

suffragettes A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

, they married in 1930.

Death

She died in 1935 from

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...

. Her death was the result of complications of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...

, from which she had suffered for many years.

Recognition

Her short story "Absolutely Perfect" won her a nomination for the O. Henry Prize in 1933.

References

Sources

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External links

Sara Haardt Mencken Collection at Goucher CollegeMapping Hidden Collections – The H.L. and Sara Haardt Mencken Collection at Goucher CollegeEncyclopedia of Alabama – Sara Haardt MenckenFindagrave.com – Sara Haardt Mencken
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haardt, Sara 1898 births 1935 deaths American academics of English literature Goucher College alumni American women novelists 20th-century American novelists Writers from Montgomery, Alabama Goucher College faculty and staff American women short story writers 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis 20th-century American women writers American people of German descent Novelists from Maryland Novelists from Alabama American women non-fiction writers Tuberculosis deaths in Maryland Infectious disease deaths in Maryland Neurological disease deaths in Maryland Deaths from meningitis American women academics H. L. Mencken