Edward Dahlberg
Edward Dahlberg (1900-1977) was an American author born in Boston, Massachusetts, to unwed parents. His early life was marked by instability and hardship, leading him to live in various cities before residing in the Jewish Orphan Asylum in Cleveland, which left a profound impact on his later writing. Dahlberg moved to Los Angeles, where he was influenced by self-educated individuals who encouraged his academic pursuits, leading him to attend the University of California at Berkeley and later Columbia University, where he earned a degree in philosophy and anthropology.
Dahlberg's literary career began with his debut novel, "Bottom Dogs," published in the late 1920s, which is noted for its bleak realism and significance in proletarian literature. He also published essays and poetry throughout his life, reflecting on themes of despair and a yearning for a mythic past. Dahlberg experienced multiple marriages and fathered two sons, while his teaching career included positions at high schools and universities. Throughout his life, he received various grants and awards for his artistic contributions. Though critical reception of his work varied, Dahlberg is recognized for his distinctive voice and the diversity of his literary endeavors.
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Subject Terms
Edward Dahlberg
Writer
- Born: July 22, 1900
- Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
- Died: February 27, 1977
- Place of death: Santa Barbara, California
Biography
Edward Dahlberg was born July 22, 1900, in a charity hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. His parents, Saul Gottdank, a barber, and Elizabeth Dahlberg, never married. After his birth, he and his mother wandered through the South and Midwest, accompanied by Gottdank, who repeatedly abandoned them. In 1905, he and his mother settled in Kansas City. In 1912, Dahlberg was sent to the Jewish Orphan Asylum in Cleveland in an effort to shelter him from the moral corruption of the Kansas City streets. He left the orphanage in 1917, but his dismal experience there, where children were referred to by numbers rather than names, would greatly influence his future work.
While living in Los Angeles, Dahlberg was befriended by Max Lewis, a self-educated man who introduced him to writers such as Friedrich Nietzsche, interested him in learning, and encouraged him to attend college. He entered the University of California at Berkeley in 1921, but transferred to Columbia University in 1923, completing his B.S. in philosophy and anthropology in 1925. During the following two years, he taught in New York City at James Madison High School and Thomas Jefferson High School. In 1926, he married Fanya Fass. The couple moved to Europe, but soon divorced. His first novel, Bottom Dogs, published in 1929 in Europe and in 1930 in the United States, was described as naturalistic and distinguished him as a pioneer in proletarian writing. The novel is noted for its bleak sense of hopelessness.
In 1942, Dahlberg married Winifred Sheehan Moore, and they had two sons, Geoffrey and Joel. In 1950, he married Rlene LaFleur Howell. They traveled extensively, and Dahlberg published essays and criticism. In 1964, his autobiography, Because I Was Flesh, combining myth and reality, poetry and prose, was published. He returned to Kansas City in 1965, teaching at the University of Missouri. His first volume of poetry, Cipango’s Hinder Door, appeared that same year. His poetry is mixed with prose and, in despair of the modern, seeks a mythic past of human wisdom. His final marriage, to Julia Lawlor, occurred in 1967, and in 1968 he taught as a visiting professor at Columbia University. He died on February 27, 1977, in Santa Barbara, California.
Dahlberg attended the McDowell Colony in 1930. He received a National Institute of Arts and Letters grant in 1961, a Rockefeller Foundation grant in 1965, and an Ariadne Foundation grant in 1970. He also obtained a Cultural Council Foundation award in 1971. In addition, he was a recipient of a National Foundation on Arts and Humanities award, a Longview Foundation grant, and a National Endowment for the Arts grant. Although critical reviews of Dahlberg’s work conflict in their appraisal, Dahlberg is distinguished by his uniqueness and diversity.