Haniel Long
Haniel Long was a notable American poet and educator born on March 9, 1888, in Rangoon, Burma (now Myanmar). He spent his formative years in the United States after his family relocated to Pittsburgh in 1891. Long pursued higher education at Harvard University, where he earned a B.A. in 1910, and he briefly worked as a reporter during his studies. His teaching career began at Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1910, advancing through various academic ranks until he had to reduce his teaching load due to eyesight issues in 1926.
In 1929, Long moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he continued to write and contribute to the literary community, co-founding a publishing house focused on regionalism. His poetry often diverged from modernist trends, drawing inspiration from classical figures like Sappho and Goethe, and effectively utilizing the influences of Chinese poetry to connect nature with human emotions. Among his most recognized works are the poetry collections "Atlantides" (1933) and "The Grist Mill" (1945), as well as the prose work "Interlinear to Cabeza de Vaca" (1936). Long's life and work reflect the experience of an artist navigating personal and professional challenges, culminating in his passing on October 17, 1956, just days after the death of his wife.
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Haniel Long
Writer
- Born: March 9, 1888
- Birthplace: Rangoon, Burma (now in Mayanmar)
- Died: October 17, 1956
- Place of death: Rochester, Minnesota
Biography
Haniel Long was born in Rangoon, Burma (now Myanmar), on March 9, 1888, the son of Samuel Parker Long, a Methodist missionary, and May Clark Long. In 1891, his family returned to the United States, settling in Pittsburgh. He began schooling at Exeter in 1903, and entered Harvard University in 1907, where he graduated with a B.A. in 1910. He completed his education long distance while serving as a reporter in 1909 and 1910 for the New York Globe and Commercial Advertiser. In 1912, he married Alice Lavinia Knoblauch; their son, Anton, was born two years later.
Long began his teaching career in 1910 as an instructor in English at Carnegie Institute of Technology. He was promoted to assistant professor in 1915, and to associate professor in 1920. However, he had problems with his eyesight and had to begin teaching part-time in 1926. He began spending his summers in New Mexico in 1923 in order to improve his health. In 1929, after retiring from teaching, he settled permanently in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Although his first collection of poetry, Poems, was published in 1920, the majority of his work was published after his move to New Mexico.
In 1933, he cofounded Writers’ Editions, Inc., a publishing house that promoted regionalism. From 1937 until 1939, he edited the writers’ page in the New Mexico Sentinel. He received international acclaim for his prose volume, Interlinear to Cabeza de Vaca, published in 1936. His most critically acclaimed volumes of poetry are Atlantides, published in 1933, and The Grist Mill, published in 1945. By the end of his life, he was partially blind and his wife had to read for him. He died on October 17, 1956, three days after the death of his wife.
In 1909, Long received the Harvard Monthly medal for his essay, “The Passing of George Meredith.” Long is distinguished in his departure from the modernist movement that was followed by his contemporaries; in contrast, his work was rooted more in the tradition of Sappho and Johann Wolfgang Goethe. He is recognized for the technical and spiritual achievement of his lyric verses that were influenced by Chinese poetry in their interconnection of nature and human emotions.