Matthew Josephson
Matthew Josephson was an influential American editor and author born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1899. He graduated from Columbia University in 1920 and moved to Paris, where he became involved with avant-garde artists and poets following World War I. Josephson played a pivotal role in introducing the Dadaist and Surrealist movements to American audiences through his magazine, *Broom*, and notable translations, including Guillaume Apollinaire's *The Poet Assassinated* in 1923. He described Dadaism as a form of "pure idiocy," highlighting its abstract nature and the unique creativity of its poets.
Josephson is perhaps best known for his critical examination of American capitalism, particularly through his 1934 work, *The Robber Barons*, where he portrayed prominent nineteenth-century entrepreneurs as self-serving figures prioritizing personal gain over the nation's economic growth. His views have been debated, with some critics arguing that his interpretations reflected more of a moralistic viewpoint than a historical analysis. In addition to his focus on capitalism, he authored biographies of notable figures such as Emile Zola, Victor Hugo, and Thomas Edison, along with memoirs detailing his experiences among Surrealists. Josephson's legacy encompasses both his contributions to literature and his contentious perspectives on American economic history.
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Matthew Josephson
- Born: February 15, 1899
- Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
- Died: March 13, 1978
- Place of death: Santa Cruz, California
Biography
Matthew Josephson was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1899. He attended Columbia University, graduating in 1920, and then worked as an editor. He arrived in Paris, France, not long after the end of World War I, entering into the collection of avant-garde artists and poets who had been galvanized by the death of poet Guillaiume Apollinaire. Apollinaire was among the first writers belonging to the Dadaist movement, and Josephson was among the first to introduce the Dadaists and the Surrealists to the American public. He established a small magazine, Broom, to introduce Americans to these artistic movements. One of Josephson’s more ambitious projects was the translation of Apolliniare’s The Poet Assassinated, published in 1923. Josephson described Dadaism as pure idiocy, where words had little individual meaning and where the whole of the poem was meaningless nonsense. He wrote that Dadaist poets had an amazing quickness of mind and the ability to connect random thoughts and words.
Although Josephson was tangentially connected to the Dadaists, he is better known for his books about American capitalism, including The Robber Barons, published in 1934. In this book, Jopsephson characterized nineteenth century American entrepreneurs, such as Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jay Gould, and J. P Morgan, as men who were more interested in achieving personal wealth and fame than they were in the burgeoning American economy. Josephson’s work was later subjected to criticism. In 1995, Maury Klein, a writer for the City Journal, maintained that Josephson’s books caricatured the creators of an industrial system that gave America the most dynamic and powerful economy in the world. Klein further stated that Josephson was more a moralist than a historian, who cared less about the accuracy of his story and more about the moralist message that he saw in it. In addition to his book about nineteenth century American entrepreneurs, Josephson wrote biographies of authors Emile Zola and Victor Hugo, and inventor Thomas Edison, among others. He also wrote two memoirs of his life, Life Among the Surrealists, published in 1962, and Infidel in the Temple, published in 1967.