Madison Cawein
Madison Julius Cawein was an American poet born on March 23, 1865, in Louisville, Kentucky, to German immigrant parents. His father, an herbalist, instilled in him a deep appreciation for Kentucky's natural flora, which became a prominent theme in his poetry. Cawein graduated from Male High School in 1886 and worked at a local pool hall while actively writing and publishing his first collection, "Blooms of the Berry," in 1887. He became well-known for his romantic style, often compared to that of John Keats, as he celebrated the beauty of nature and everyday life in his verses.
Throughout his career, Cawein formed connections with other notable poets, including Edward Arlington Robinson and James Whitcomb Riley. Despite enjoying literary success, he primarily supported himself through real estate investments, though financial setbacks, including losses from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, impacted his stability. He received temporary financial help from the Authors' Club of New York City after facing economic difficulties. Cawein's life was tragically cut short when he suffered a stroke and died on December 8, 1914. His work, while rooted in the traditions of nineteenth-century Romanticism, continues to be appreciated for its ability to render the mundane beautiful.
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Subject Terms
Madison Cawein
Poet
- Born: March 23, 1865
- Birthplace: Louisville, Kentucky
- Died: December 8, 1914
Biography
Madison Julius Cawein was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 23, 1865, the son of German immigrants, William and Christina Cawein. His father was an herbalist who created patent medicines from herbs; it is from his father’s background that Cawein became expertly familiar with Kentucky’s local flora, as his poetry aptly illustrates. His mother regarded herself as something of a divine intermediary.
Cawein graduated from Male High School in Louisville in 1886. Afterwards, he worked at a local pool hall, Newmarket Poolroom, as an assistant clerk. He spent the next six years working at the pool hall while simultaneously writing and publishing his poetry.
In 1887, he published his first collection of verse, Blooms of the Berry, which was positively reviewed by author William Dean Howells. This marked the beginning of his prolific literary career, in which he produced numerous collections of poetry, with the majority of his poems focusing on Kentucky’s natural world. Cawein often was called the Keats of Kentucky because his verse, like that of poet John Keats, tended to laud even the minutest detail of an object or landscape. As his literary reputation grew, Cawein developed literary friendships with Edward Arlington Robinson and James Whitcomb Riley.
In 1903, Cawein married Gertrude Foster McKelvey, and the couple later had a son, Preston. Despite his early and subsequent success in his literary career, Cawein primarily earned his income through speculation. For the next two decades, he successfully maintained a living through investments in real estate and the emerging financial markets of the early twentieth century. However, he lost most of his investments in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Moreover, in 1912 he experienced greater financial devastation when he had to sell his home, St. James Court, in Louisville and large portions of his library because of a brief economic decline. As a result of these financial setbacks, the Authors’ Club of New York City provided him with temporary financial support in 1914.
On December 8, 1914, Cawein suffered a stroke which caused him to collapse. As a result, he violently struck his head and immediately died.
Cawein was able to gain international recognition for his poetry, which tended to follow the forms and traditions of nineteenth century Romantic verse. Although this style fell out of fashion in the twentieth century, Carwein’s work was valued because he could make even an ordinary, mundane thing beautiful through his poetry.