Muriel Rukeyser (December 15, 1913 – February 12, 1980) was an American poet and political activist, best known for her poems about equality, feminism, social justice, and Judaism. Kenneth Rexroth said that she was the greatest poet of her "exact generation". One of her most powerful pieces was a group of poems titled ''The Book of the Dead'' (1938), documenting the details of the Hawk's Nest incident, an industrial disaster in which hundreds of miners died of silicosis. Her poem "To be a Jew in the Twentieth Century" (1944), on the theme of

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...

as a gift, was adopted by the American

Reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement ...

and Reconstructionist movements for their

prayer books A prayer book is a book containing prayers and perhaps devotional readings, for private or communal use, or in some cases, outlining the liturgy of religious services. Books containing mainly orders of religious services, or readings for them are ...

, something Rukeyser said "astonished" her, as she had remained distant from Judaism throughout her early life.

Early life

Muriel Rukeyser was born on December 15, 1913 to Lawrence and Myra Lyons Rukeyser. She attended the

Ethical Culture Fieldston School Ethical Culture Fieldston School (ECFS), also referred to as Fieldston, is a private independent school in New York City. The school is a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League. The school serves approximately 1,700 students with 480 facult ...

, a private school in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, then

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely foll ...

Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie ...

. From 1930 to 32, she attended

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. Her literary career began in 1935 when her book of poetry ''Theory of Flight'', based on flying lessons she took, was chosen by the American poet

Stephen Vincent Benét Stephen Vincent Benét (; July 22, 1898 – March 13, 1943) was an American poet, short story writer, and novelist. He is best known for his book-length narrative poem of the American Civil War, '' John Brown's Body'' (1928), for which he receiv ...

for publication in the '' Yale Younger Poets Series''.

Activism and writing

Rukeyser was active in progressive politics throughout her life. At age 21, she covered the Scottsboro case in Alabama, then worked for the

International Labor Defense The International Labor Defense (ILD) (1925–1947) was a legal advocacy organization established in 1925 in the United States as the American section of the Comintern's International Red Aid network. The ILD defended Sacco and Vanzetti, was activ ...

, which handled the defendants' appeals. She wrote for the '' Daily Worker'' and a variety of publications, including ''Decision'' and ''Life & Letters Today'', for which she covered the

People's Olympiad The People's Olympiad (Catalan: ''Olimpíada Popular'', Spanish: ''Olimpiada Popular'') was a planned international multi-sport event that was intended to take place in Barcelona, the capital of the autonomous region of Catalonia within the Span ...

(Olimpiada Popular, Barcelona), the Catalan government's alternative to the Nazis'

1936 Berlin Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-sp ...

. While she was in Spain, the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

broke out, the basis of her book ''Mediterranean''. Most famously, she traveled to Gauley Bridge,

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

, to investigate the recurring silicosis among miners there, which resulted in her poem sequence ''The Book of the Dead''. During and after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, she gave a number of striking public lectures, published in her ''The Life of Poetry''
excerpts here
. For much of her life, she taught university classes and led workshops, but she never became a career academic. In 1996, Paris Press reissued ''The Life of Poetry'', which was published in 1949 but had fallen out of print. In a publisher's note, Jan Freeman called it a book that "ranks among the most essential works of twentieth century literature." In it Rukeyser makes the case that poetry is essential to democracy, essential to human life and understanding. In the 1960s and 1970s, when Rukeyser presided over

PEN A pen is a common writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a nib or in a small void or cavity wh ...

's American center, her feminism and opposition to the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

drew a new generation to her poetry. The title poem of her last book, ''The Gates'', is based on her unsuccessful attempt to visit Korean poet

Kim Chi-Ha Kim Jiha ( ko, 김지하; 4 February 1941 – 8 May 2022) was a South Korean poet and playwright.LTI Korea Author Database: http://klti.or.kr/ke_04_03_011.do# Biography Kim Jiha was born Kim Yeongil on 4 February 1941 in Mokpo, Jeollanam-do. ...

on death row in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

. In 1968, she signed the "

Writers and Editors War Tax Protest Tax resistance, the practice of refusing to pay taxes that are considered unjust, has probably existed ever since rulers began imposing taxes on their subjects. It has been suggested that tax resistance played a significant role in the collapse of ...

" pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War. In addition to her poetry, she wrote a fictionalized memoir, ''The Orgy'', plays and screenplays, and translated work by

Octavio Paz Octavio Paz Lozano (March 31, 1914 – April 19, 1998) was a Mexican poet and diplomat. For his body of work, he was awarded the 1977 Jerusalem Prize, the 1981 Miguel de Cervantes Prize, the 1982 Neustadt International Prize for Literature, and ...

and Gunnar Ekelöf. She also wrote biographies of

Josiah Willard Gibbs Josiah Willard Gibbs (; February 11, 1839 – April 28, 1903) was an American scientist who made significant theoretical contributions to physics, chemistry, and mathematics. His work on the applications of thermodynamics was instrumental in t ...

Wendell Willkie Wendell Lewis Willkie (born Lewis Wendell Willkie; February 18, 1892 – October 8, 1944) was an American lawyer, corporate executive and the 1940 Republican nominee for President. Willkie appealed to many convention delegates as the Republican ...

, and

Thomas Hariot Thomas Harriot (; – 2 July 1621), also spelled Harriott, Hariot or Heriot, was an English astronomer, mathematician, ethnographer and translator to whom the theory of refraction is attributed. Thomas Harriot was also recognized for his cont ...

Andrea Dworkin Andrea Rita Dworkin (September 26, 1946 – April 9, 2005) was an American radical feminist writer and activist best known for her analysis of pornography. Her feminist writings, beginning in 1974, span 30 years. They are found in a dozen solo ...

worked as her secretary in the early 1970s. Also in the 1970s she served on the Advisory Board of the

Westbeth Playwrights Feminist Collective The Westbeth Playwrights Feminist Collective was a group of professional women playwrights in New York active from 1971 to 1975. They wrote and produced feminist plays and were one of the first feminist theatre groups in the United States to do so ...

, a New York City based theatre group that wrote and produced plays on feminist issues. Rukeyser died in New York on February 12, 1980, from a stroke, with

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

as a contributing factor. She was 66.

In other media

In the television show '' Supernatural'', Metatron the angel quotes an excerpt of Rukeyser's poem "Speed of Darkness": "The Universe is made of stories, not of atoms." Library Walk 6

Jeanette Winterson's novel ''Gut Symmetries'' (1997) quotes Rukeyser's poem "King's Mountain". Rukeyser's translation of a poem by Octavio Paz was adapted by Eric Whitacre for his choral composition " Water Night."

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of t ...

set one of her texts in his opera ''

Doctor Atomic ''Doctor Atomic'' is an opera by the contemporary American composer John Adams, with libretto by Peter Sellars. It premiered at the San Francisco Opera on October 1, 2005. The work focuses on how leading figures at Los Alamos dealt with the gre ...

'', and

Libby Larsen Elizabeth Brown Larsen (born December 24, 1950) is a contemporary American classical composer. Along with composer Stephen Paulus, she is a co-founder of the Minnesota Composers Forum, now the American Composers Forum. A former holder of the Pa ...

set the poem "Looking at Each Other" in her choral work ''Love Songs''. Writer Marian Evans and composer Chris White are collaborating on a play about Rukeyser, ''Throat of These Hours'', titled after a line in Rukeyser's ''Speed of Darkness''. The '' JDT: Journal of Narrative Theory, a publication from Eastern Michigan University,'' dedicated a special issue to Rukeyser in Fall 2013. Rukeyser's 5-poem sequence "Käthe Kollwitz" (The Speed of Darkness, 1968, Random House) was set by Tom Myron in his composition "Käthe Kollwitz for Soprano and String Quartet," "written in response to a commission from violist Julia Adams for a work celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Portland String Quartet in 1998." Rukeyser's poem "Gunday's Child" was set to music by the experimental rock band Sleepytime Gorilla Museum.

Personal life

She was bisexual.

Awards

* Yale Younger Poets Award (1935) with ''Theory of Flight'' * Harriet Monroe Poetry Award (the first) * Levinson Prize * Copernicus Prize * Guggenheim Fellowship

Works

; Rukeyser's original collections of poetry *''Theory of Flight''. Foreword by Stephen Vincent Benet. New Haven: Yale Uni. Press, 1935. Won the Yale Younger Poets Award in 1935. *''Mediterranean.'' Writers and Artists Committee, Medical Bureau to Aid Spanish Democracy, 1938. *''U.S. 1: Poems''. Covici, Friede, 1938. *''A Turning Wind: Poems''. Viking, 1939. * ''The Soul and Body of John Brown.'' Privately printed, 1940. With etchings by Rudolph von Ripper. *''Wake Island''. Doubleday, 1942. *''Beast in View''. Doubleday, 1944. *''The Green Wave: Poems''. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1948. Includes translations of

poems and rari. * ''Orpheus.'' Centaur Press, 1949. With the drawing "Orpheus" by Picasso. *''Elegies''. New Directions, 1949. *''Selected Poems''. New Directions, 1951. *''Body of Waking: Poems''. NY: Harper, 1958. Includes translated poems of

. *''Waterlily Fire: Poems 1935-1962''. NY: Macmillan, 1962. *''The Outer Banks''. Santa Barbara CA: Unicorn, 1967. 2nd rev. ed., 1980. *''The Speed of Darkness: Poems''. NY: Random House, 1968. *''29 Poems''. Rapp & Whiting, 1972. *''Breaking Open: New Poems''. Random House, 1973. *''The Gates: Poems''. NY: McGraw-Hill, 1976. ; Fiction by Rukeyser *''Savage Coast : A Novel.'' Feminist Press, 2013. ; Plays by Rukeyser * ''The Middle of the Air.'' Produced in Iowa City, IA, 1945. * ''The Colors of the Day: A Celebration of the Vassar Centennial.'' Produced in Poughkeepsie, NY, at Vassar College, June 10, 1961. * ''Houdini.'' Produced in Lenox, MA, at Lenox Arts Center, July 3, 1973. Published as ''Houdini: A Musical,'' Paris Press, 2002. ; Children's books *''Come Back, Paul.'' Harper, 1955. * ''I Go Out.'' Harper, 1961. Illustrated by Leonard Kessler. * ''Bubbles.'' Harcourt, Brace & World, 1967. * ''Mazes.'' Simon & Schuster, 1970. Photography by Milton Charles. *''More Night.'' Harper & Row, 1981. Illustrated b
Symeon Shimin
; Memoirs by Rukeyser *''The Orgy: An Irish Journey of Passion and Transformation''. London: Andre Deutsch, 1965; NY: Pocket Books, 1966; Ashfield, MA: Paris Press, 1997. ; Works of criticism by Rukeyser *''The Life of Poetry''. NY: Current Books, 1949; Morrow, 1974; Paris Press, 1996. ; Biographies by Rukeyser *''Willard Gibbs: American Genius'', 1942. Reprinted by the Ox Bow Press, Woodbridge CT. Biography of

, physicist. *''One Life''. NY: Simon and Schuster, 1957. Biography of

. *''The Traces of Thomas Hariot''. NY: Random House, 1971. Biography of

. ; Translations by Rukeyser * ''Selected Poems of Octavio Paz.'' Indiana University Press, 1963. Rev. ed. published as ''Early Poems 1935-1955,'' New Directions, 1973. * ''Sun Stone.''

. New Directions, 1963. * ''Selected Poems of Gunnar Ekelöf.'' With Leif Sjöberg. Twayne, 1967. * ''Three Poems.'' Gunnar Ekelöf. T. Williams, 1967. * ''Uncle Eddie's Moustache.'' Bertolt Brecht. 1974. * ''A Molna Elegy: Metamorphoses.'' Gunnar Ekelöf. With Leif Sjöberg. 2 volumes. Unicorn Press, 1984. ; Edited collections of Rukeyser's works * ''The Collected Poems of Muriel Rukeyser.'' McGraw, 1978. * ''Out of Silence: Selected Poems.'' Edited by Kate Daniels. Triquarterly Books, 1992. *''A Muriel Rukeyser Reader''. Norton, 1994. *''The Collected Poems of Muriel Rukeyser''. University of Pittsburgh Press, 2005.

References

External links

Muriel Rukeyser: A Living Archive
Ongoing project by

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

featuring creative content by Rukeyser as well as critical resources and creative responses by artists and scholars.
Muriel Rukeyser papers, 1844–1986
at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

Guide to the Muriel Rukeyser Papers
at the Vassar College Archives and Special Collections Library

by Michael Thurston, ''Modern American Poetry'', retrieved January 30, 2006
"The Book of the Dead"
by Muriel Rukeyser
Muriel Rukeyser's FBI filesPennSound page
(audio recordings). {{DEFAULTSORT:Rukeyser, Muriel 1913 births 1980 deaths American feminists American tax resisters American women poets Bisexual women Bisexual writers Columbia University alumni Ethical Culture Fieldston School alumni Jewish American poets Jewish feminists Jewish women writers LGBT Jews LGBT poets American LGBT writers Sarah Lawrence College faculty Vassar College alumni Yale Younger Poets winners 20th-century American poets 20th-century American women writers LGBT people from New York (state) Bisexual academics Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters