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.

Early life and education

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

German American German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...

John Anton Haardt in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

, 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. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

from

Goucher College Goucher College ( ') is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Towson, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1885 as a Nonsectarian, nonsecterian Women's colleges in the United States, ...

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, 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. Haardt's childhood friend, Alabama author Sara Mayfield wrote extensively about Haardt's marriage to H. L. Mencken in her 1968 book ''The Constant Circle: H.L. Menken and His Friends''. Despite Menken's reputation for being "a rock-ribbed bachelor" 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 women's suffrage, the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in part ...

, they married in a small Episcopal ceremony in Baltimore on August 27, 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, intense headache, vomiting and neck stiffness and occasion ...

. Her death was the result of complications of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, 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