Fannie Hurst
Fannie Hurst (1889-1968) was an influential American novelist and short story writer, known for her vivid portrayals of working-class life and the experiences of Jewish immigrants in early 20th-century America. Born in Hamilton, Ohio, she was raised in St. Louis, Missouri, where she developed a passion for writing at a young age. Hurst attended Washington University and later studied literature and acting in New York City. Her literary career took off in 1912 when she published her first accepted story in the Saturday Evening Post.
Over her prolific career, she produced numerous collections and novels, with notable works including "Humoresque," "Back Street," and "Imitation of Life." Hurst's writing often featured strong characterization and explored themes of romance and social issues, particularly the struggles of women. Despite her initial popularity, her work faced declining recognition in later years, culminating in her last publication in 1964. Hurst was also an advocate for women's rights and had connections with prominent figures like Eleanor Roosevelt. Although her literary contributions have been somewhat overshadowed, recent scholarship suggests a reevaluation of her work and significance in American literature.
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Fannie Hurst
Author
- Born: October 18, 1889
- Birthplace: Hamilton, Ohio
- Died: February 23, 1968
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
Fannie Hurst was born in 1889 in the city of Hamilton, Ohio. She was the only child of Samuel and Rose Koppel Hurst, who were of German Jewish descent. They moved to St.Louis, Missouri, where Fannie received her elementary and high school education. She then went on to Washington University, graduating in 1909. After two years at home, she persuaded her parents to allow her to go to New York City, where she studied literature and acting with William Dean at Columbia University, supporting herself with part-time jobs. She married Jacques Danielson, a concert pianist and Russian Jew, in 1914, but her parents did not approve of his background and the marriage was only made public in 1920.
Fannie Hurst had been writing prolifically since the age of fourteen, when she sent a short story to the Saturday Evening Post. It was only on her thirty-sixth submission to them that they accepted one of her stories, “Power and Horse Power,” in 1912, earning her three hundred dollars. Her first story was actually published by Reedy’s Mirror, a St. Louis-based magazine, with the story “Ain’t Life Wonderful?,” which had started as a college theme. Marion Reedy, its editor, also accepted “Home” which Hurst then dramatized, acting a lead role in its production.
By 1914, she had written enough published stories for a first collection, Just Around the Corner. Already certain features were emerging that were typical of her later work: working-class girls; Jewish immigrants; the setting of New York City, especially its East Side; powerful characterization, but predictable plots; and a popular, romantic style. The next year one of her stories, “T.B.” was good enough to be included in Edward O’Brien’s Best Short Stories of 1915, and was included in her second collection, Every Soul Hath Its Song (1916). The collection as a whole won critical recognition and her success was assured from then on. “T.B.” itself was about a young girl who contracted T.B. from poor working conditions and the desire to live a hedonistic lifestyle.
Her third collection, Gaslight Sonatas appeared in 1918, and contained two notable stories, “Ice-Water, Pl— !” and “Get Ready the Wreaths.” It shows Hurst’s ability to make dull boarding house life seem dramatic and poignant. Probably her best collection was published the next year: Humoresque. Its title story won the O.Henry prize, was selected by B. C. Williams for his Best American Stories, 1919-1924, and was made into several films. In 1921, she wrote the first of her eighteen novels, Star-Dust: The Story of an American Girl. Her most successful novels were Back Street (1931) and Imitation of Life (1933).
She continued to write short stories until 1937, when her final collection, We Are Ten, was published. By then her plots had become overly predictable. However, “God Made Little Apples” (1928) is still exceptional, and “Hattie Turner versus Hattie Turner” (1935) shows acute insight into abnormal psychology. She continued with novel writing until 1964, four years before her death, but by then new literary currents had sidelined her completely, to the extent that few of her books remained in print.
Hurst was a friend of Eleanor Roosevelt and championed a number of feminist causes. She wrote an autobiography, Anatomy of Me: A Wonderer in Search of Herself in 1958, but it was not until 1999 that a full-length biography was written, by Brooke Kroeger. Kroeger suggests it is time to reevaluate the life of this prolific, once-popular American writer.