Maxwell Bodenheim
Maxwell Bodenheim, born on May 26, 1893, in Hermanville, Mississippi, was an American poet and novelist known for his bohemian lifestyle and significant contributions to early 20th-century literature. After moving to Chicago at a young age and experiencing tumultuous early years, including desertion from the army, Bodenheim began his literary career by publishing in prominent outlets like Poetry Magazine. He gained prominence in New York's Greenwich Village, where he interacted with notable literary figures such as Hart Crane and William Carlos Williams.
During the 1920s, Bodenheim enjoyed his most productive period, publishing seven books of poetry and seven novels, characterized by innovative language and imagery, including the incorporation of jazz elements in his work. Despite achieving some recognition, particularly for his poetry, his novels were often less critically acclaimed, with one, "Replenishing Jessica," even facing an obscenity trial. His later years were marked by personal challenges, including homelessness and financial instability, exacerbated by the Great Depression. Tragically, Bodenheim's life ended violently in 1954 when he and his third wife were murdered. Although many of his works have fallen out of print, Bodenheim is remembered for his deep commitment to literature and the complexities of the literary life he led.
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Subject Terms
Maxwell Bodenheim
Poet
- Born: May 26, 1893
- Birthplace: Hermanville, Mississippi
- Died: February 6, 1954
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
Max Bodenheimer was on May 26, 1893, in Hermanville, Mississippi. He would later drop the “er” from his name, becoming Max Bodenheim. At the age of nine, he moved to Chicago with his parents, Solomon and Caroline Herman Bodenheimer. He dropped out of school and joined the army in 1908, but was jailed for desertion in 1911 at Fort Levenworth. He returned to Chicago in 1912.
Bodenheim began his literary career in Chicago. He published his work in Poetry Magazine and became associated with the magazine’s founder, Harriet Monroe. In 1916, he moved to New York, living a bohemian lifestyle in Greenwich Village and associating with poets Hart Crane and William Carlos Williams. In 1918, he married Minna Schlein and published his first collection of poetry, Minna and Myself, that same year. Their son, Solbert, was born in 1920. The couple divorced in 1938, and Bodenheim married Grace Finan in 1939. She died in 1950. Bodenheim married Ruth Fagan in 1951; the couple died in February 1954 when they were murdered by a former mental patient.
Bodenheim’s most productive years were during the 1920’s. Within this decade, he published seven books of poetry and seven novels. In 1923 alone, he published two collections of poetry and one novel. Bodenheim’s poetry was noted for its use of use of images and unusual use of language. He was also experimental. Bringing Jazz!, published in 1930, incorporates elements of jazz music. Though his novels earned him money, critics did not receive them as favorably as his poetry. His novel, Replenishing Jessica, published in 1925, was the subject of an obscenity hearing.
Bodenheim was largely ignored when he visited Paris in 1929, and his reputation declined during the 1930’s. Though he published seven novels between 1930 and 1933, the Depression took its toll financially, and Bodenheim was often homeless. He was arrested for vagrancy in 1952. However, he did earn the 1939 Oscar Blumenthal Prize from Poetry Magazine as well as other awards.
Few of Bodenheim’s numerous volumes remain in print. His professional reputation is overshadowed by personal scandal. However, he is recognized for his absolute devotion to literature and the literary life.