Horace Traubel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1858-12-19)December 19, 1858 |
| Died | September 8, 1919(1919-09-08) (aged 60) |
| Burial place | Harleigh Cemetery, Camden, New Jersey |
| Occupation(s) | essayist, poet, magazine publisher, writer, andGeorgist |
| Known for | associated with theArts and Crafts movement |
| Notable work | The Conservator,The Artsman,The Worker |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 daughter, 1 son |
Horace Logo Traubel (December 19, 1858 – September 8, 1919) was an American essayist, poet, magazine publisher, writer, andGeorgist.[1] Traubel was closely associated with theArts and Crafts movement in the United States and published a monthly literary magazine calledThe Conservator from 1890 until the time of his death. Although a poet of note in his own right, Traubel is best remembered as the literary executor and biographer of his friend, poetWalt Whitman, with whom he transcribed and compiled nine volumes of daily conversations, entitledWith Walt Whitman in Camden.
Horace L. Traubel was born inCamden,New Jersey on December 19, 1858, the son of an ethnicJewish father and an ethnicGerman mother.[2] His father, Maurice Traubel, had been born in Germany before emigrating to the United States as a young man, where he settled inPhiladelphia and learned the trade oflithography.[2] His mother, the former Katherine Grunder, met Maurice after his arrival.[2]
Horace was the fifth child of seven born to the couple.[2] He left school at an early age, going to work at the age of 12 as apaperboy before working variously as a printers' assistant, lithographer,cub reporter at a newspaper, and bank clerk.[2]
Early in his life he came to knowWalt Whitman, whose volume of poetryLeaves of Grass was the subject of much hostile commentary among the literary critics of the day.[3]
Traubel married in 1891. He and his wife Anne had two children — a daughter who survived him and a son who died at the age of 5.[4] The family moved from Philadelphia to neighboringCamden, New Jersey, but Traubel maintained an office across theDelaware River in the big city for years afterwards.[4]
Traubel began to write himself in the late 1880s, specializing inliterary criticism andpoetry.[3] In 1890 Traubel founded a literary journal,The Conservator, a monthly publication which he continued until the time of his death nearly three decades later.[3] While the publication never attained a mass readership, it was well regarded for its quality and spirit by literary aficionados of the day.[3] Traubel signed most his later work in the journal "T.", previously "H. T." and "H. L. T."[5][6][7][8]
During the years 1903 to 1907 Traubel was associated with another literary magazine,The Artsman, which he edited along withWilliam Lightfoot Price andHawley McLanahan.[4]The Artsman was associated with theRose Valley Association, part of the internationalArts and Crafts movement of the day.[4]
Traubel was a dedicatedsocialist and was among the founders ofThe Worker, a socialist weekly newspaper in New York City which was later transformed into the Socialist dailyNew York Call.[3] Traubel was the author of many unsigned editorials in early issues of that paper and contributed a daily essay, often dealing with a spiritual topic.[3] Many of Traubel's essays fromThe Worker were eventually collected into hard covers as a book entitledChants Communal.[3] Traubel was a regular correspondent of a number of leading political radicals of his day, including Socialist Party leaderEugene V. Debs, anarchistEmma Goldman,Helen Keller, and California novelistUpton Sinclair.[9]
A close personal friend and literary heir of Walt Whitman, Traubel was a key figure in memorializing the great American poet. During his own life Traubel managed to see into print three volumes on Whitman's life and philosophy during his final years.[3] Six additional volumes of Traubel'sWalt Whitman in Camden were published posthumously, bringing the total to nine volumes.[9]
During his last few years Traubel's health failed him.[3] He suffered astroke in the summer of 1918 which paralyzed his left leg and impacted his vision.[10] That fall he moved with his wife to stay with a friend inNorwich, Connecticut, but there his health became steadily worse.[11]
In April 1919 Traubel moved toNew York City staying at the apartment of his biographer,David Karsner.[12] There he suffered a series of debilitating heart attacks from which he never fully recovered.[3]
Although critically weak in his last days, Traubel decided to set out on one last trip at the end of the summer of 1919, setting out forCanada. He died early in September 1919 atBon Echo,Ontario, near the city ofToronto.[3] He was 60 years old at the time of his death.
Traubel's funeral, held Thursday, September 11, 1919, was interrupted when the church at which it was to be held, located at 34th Street and Park Avenue in New York City, burst into flames just as thehearse containing Traubel's body rolled up outside the building.[13] About 1,000 people gathered at the scene, most of whom were present to attend the service, and a quick decision was made to relocate the funeral to the so-called "People's House," home of theRand School of Social Science, located at 7 East 15th Street.[13] When the gathering finally reassembled, several of Traubel's poems fromOptimos were read in tribute, with Dr. Percival G. Wiksell of Boston presiding.[13]
Traubel was buried inHarleigh Cemetery in Camden, New Jersey, close to Walt Whitman's tomb.[9]
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