Harry Crosby
Harry Crosby was an American poet and publisher born into a wealthy banking family in Boston on June 4, 1898. He was the nephew of notable tycoon J.P. Morgan and initially faced family expectations to join the banking business. However, Crosby chose a different path, enlisting in the U.S. Army during World War I and earning the Croix de Guerre for bravery. After serving, he graduated from Harvard University and moved to Paris with his wife, Polly Peabody, whom he affectionately called Caresse. The couple led a lavish lifestyle and embraced an open marriage while navigating the artistic circles of the time.
In 1927, they founded Black Sun Press, which published works by prominent authors, including T.S. Eliot and D.H. Lawrence, alongside Crosby's own poetry collections. His literary contributions include "Sonnets for Caresse" and "Transit of Venus." Tragically, Crosby's life ended in December 1929 under mysterious circumstances alongside his lover, Josephine Rotch, leading to speculation about a double suicide. His widow, Caresse, continued to manage their publishing legacy after his untimely death. Crosby's story reflects themes of artistic ambition, personal freedom, and the tumultuous intersections of love and tragedy.
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Harry Crosby
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- Born: June 4, 1898
- Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
- Died: December 10, 1929
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
Harry Crosby was born in Boston on June 4, 1898, into one of the wealthiest banking families in the United States. His uncle was tycoon J. P. Morgan, or “Uncle Jack,” as he was affectionately called. Crosby’s family expected him to join the family business, but Crosby did not want to spend his life behind a desk.
In 1917, Crosby graduated from St. Mark’s, an exclusive boy’s preparatory school, and immediately volunteered for the American Field Service Ambulance Corps. When the United States entered World War I, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Ambulance Corps, serving at the second Battle of Verdun. In 1919, Crosby was awarded the Croix de Guerre after his section was noted for bravery at the Battle of Orme.
Once released from military service, Crosby returned to Boston and enrolled at Harvard University under a program for veterans, graduating in 1921. He also fell in love with Polly Peabody, a wealthy and married woman who he renamed Caresse. The couple married in 1922 and promptly moved to Paris. Crosby briefly worked at his uncle’s bank in Paris, but he eventually left to pursue a career in writing. While in Paris, Harry and Caresse lived a carefree life. They spent as much money as they wanted, living off the stocks and bonds Crosby sold, and experienced an open marriage. In 1928, Crosby inherited Walter Berry’s collection of more than seven thousand books; he would read each book and sell it immediately after he was finished.
In 1925, Crosby’s collection of poems, Sonnets for Caresse, was privately printed. In 1927, Harry and Caresse established Black Sun Press, which published his second poetry collection, Red Skeletons (1927). Black Sun Press also published the works of D. H. Lawrence, Hart Crane, James Joyce, T. S. Elliot, and, of course, Caresse Crosby.
Crosby had been keeping a diary and Shadows of the Sun, his diary of the years 1922 through 1926, was published in 1928. This was the first series of the diaries; series two and three, each bearing the title Shadows of the Sun, were published in 1929 and 1930, respectively. In 1928, Crosby published Transit of Venus, a collection of poems dedicated to one of his lovers, Josephine Rotch. The following year, he published two additional poetry collections, Mad Queen and The Sun, as well as Sleeping Together: A Book of Dreams.
On December 10, 1929, Crosby was found dead in a hotel room in New York with his lover, Rotch. Investigators believed it was a double suicide. Rotch had a bullet wound in her left temple, while Crosby had a matching bullet wound in his right temple. After Crosby’s death, Caresse Crosby continued to run the Black Sun Press.