Catherine Drinker Bowen
Catherine Drinker Bowen (1897-1973) was an influential American biographer and writer, known for her extensive research and engaging literary style. Born in Haverford, Pennsylvania, she initially pursued a career as a professional violinist after earning a teaching certificate from the Juilliard School of Music. However, after marrying Ezra Bowen and becoming a mother, she shifted her focus to writing, producing her first works, including a children's book and a historical account of Lehigh University.
Bowen gained prominence in the genre of biography, with notable works such as "Beloved Friend," which explored the relationship between composer Tchaikovsky and his patroness, and "The Lion and the Throne," a detailed account of Sir Edward Coke that won the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 1958. Her writing often reflected her deep interest in American history and politics, as evident in works like "Miracle at Philadelphia," which chronicles the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Throughout her career, Bowen was recognized for her meticulous research and her belief in biography as a vital literary form. At the time of her death, she was seen as a leading figure in biographical writing, with her last project being a biography of Benjamin Franklin.
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Catherine Drinker Bowen
Biographer
- Born: January 1, 1897
- Birthplace: Haverford, Pennsylvania
- Died: November 1, 1973
- Place of death: Haverford, Pennsylvania
Biography
Catherine Drinker Bowen, born in Haverford, Pennsylvania, on January 1, 1897, is best known as a biographer. She was an accomplished violinist who earned a teaching certificate from the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. In 1919, she gave up her career as a professional violinist to marry Ezra Bowen. As the young mother of two children, she began to write freelance articles. Her first two books, a children’s book, The Story of an Oak Tree, and A History of Lehigh University, were followed by her only novel, Rufus Starbuck’s Wife. She divorced Ezra Bowen in 1936 and married Dr. Thomas McKean Downs in 1939.
Biography proved to be the genre which would establish her reputation. Beloved Friend: The Story of Tchaikovsky and Nadejda von Meck, was a collaboration with Barbara von Meck, based on the letters between the composer Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky and his patroness. Von Meck translated the letters, and Bowen provided research and commentary. Her next book, Free Artist: The Story of Anton and Nicholas Rubenstein, was a biography of Tchaikovsky’s mentors, based on extensive research in Paris, Berlin, and Russia. Bowen’s own musical education and background allowed her to write lyrically and knowledgeably about these figures associated with classical music.
World War II cut short her research in Europe. Returning to the United States, Bowen turned to subjects related to her interest in American history and politics. Yankee from Olympus: Justice Holmes and His Family was followed by John Adams and the American Revolution. Then she turned to Sir Edward Coke, whose work was a model for the writers of the Declaration of Independence. The Lion and the Throne: The Life and Times of Sir Edward Coke, extensively researched in libraries in England and the United States, won the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 1958.
Bowen was known as a meticulous archivist and researcher as well as a writer who approached the craft of biography as a literary form calling for enthusiasm, point of view, and solid literary technique. She wrote several books and pamphlets about the writing of biography, including The Writing of Biography, Adventures of a Biographer, and Biography: The Craft and the Calling.
Francis Bacon: The Temper of a Man was well received as another fine biographical portrait. Miracle at Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention, May to September, 1787 was an ambitious project detailing the foundations of early American government. Bowen was working on a biography of Benjamin Franklin at the time of her death in 1973. At that time, she was considered a first-rate biographer, noted for the depth of her research, the quality of her writing craft, and her passionate involvement with her subjects.