Scofield Thayer

Scofield Thayer

Scofield Thayer (12 December 1889 — 1982) was an American poet and publisher, best known for his art collection, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and as a publisher and editor of the literary magazine "The Dial" during the 1920s.

Scofield Thayer was born in Worcester, Massachusetts on 12 December 1889 to Edward D. Thayer and Florence Scofield Thayer. The Thayers were a prominent and wealthy Massachusetts family. Scofield's father was the owner of several area wool mills, a founding investor in the Crompton & Thayer Loom Company, and a director of the Worcester Trust Company. Scofield's uncle Ernest Thayer was the author of the well-known poem "Casey at the Bat".

Thayer entered Harvard University in 1913. His Harvard years would prove formative; during them Thayer would serve on the staff of the "Harvard Monthly". During these years Thayer would also meet many other young poets and authors, including E. E. Cummings, Alan Seeger, Lincoln MacVeagh, and Gilbert Seldes. A large dormitory for freshmen at Harvard, in which E. E. Cummings once roomed (room 306), is named after the Thayer family. After Harvard, he went to Oxford at the same time as T. S. Eliot.ref|oxfordAndEliot

Thayer married Elaine Orr on 21 June 1916. He commissioned his friend E. E. Cummings to write his poem "Epithalamion" as a wedding present. The marriage did not last long, however, as by 1919 Elaine was having an affair with Cummings, even giving birth to a daughter, Nancy, by Cummings in December of that year.

Thayer's involvement with "The Dial" began in April 1918 when he purchased $600 USD worth of stock in the magazine. In late 1919, Thayer and his fellow Harvard alumnus Dr. James Sibley Watson, Jr. purchased "The Dial" from the owner, Martyn Johnson, who was experiencing financial trouble. Dr. Watson became the magazine's president while Thayer took up the post of editor. The Watson/Thayer-produced "Dial" released its first issue in January 1920. The issue featured works from E. E. Cummings, Gaston Lachaise, and Carl Sandburg.

In July 1921, Thayer sailed for Europe. He settled in Vienna, and, although he would remain there for more than two years, he would continue to direct the operations of "The Dial", soliciting financial backing from European investors and sending layout and content instructions back to the magazine's offices in New York regularly.

During the mid 1920s Thayer began to experience a series of mental breakdowns, and began to deteriorate. He resigned as editor of "The Dial" in June 1926, and spent the remainder of his life in the care of relatives and various institutions and sanatoria. Watson continued on with The Dial working with editor Marianne Moore. The Dial's final issue was published in July 1929.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Thayer — may refer to:Peopleurname* Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849 1921), American artist * Alexander Wheelock Thayer (1817 1897), author of The life of Ludwig van Beethoven , a standard biography, and other music biographies * Brynn Thayer (b. 1949),… …   Wikipedia

  • The Dial — was an American magazine published intermittently from 1840 to 1929. In its first form, from 1840 to 1844, it served as the chief publication of the Transcendentalists. In the 1880s it was revived as a political magazine. From 1920 to 1929 it was …   Wikipedia

  • E.E. Cummings — E. E. Cummings Pour les articles homonymes, voir Cummings. E. E. Cummings en 1953 Edward Estlin Cummings, mieux connu sous le diminutif de E. E. Cumming …   Wikipédia en Français

  • E. E. Cummings — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Cummings. E. E. Cummings en 1953 Edward Estlin Cummings, mieux connu sous le diminutif de e. e. cummings (14 octobre …   Wikipédia en Français

  • E.e. cummings — E. E. Cummings Pour les articles homonymes, voir Cummings. E. E. Cummings en 1953 Edward Estlin Cummings, mieux connu sous le diminutif de E. E. Cumming …   Wikipédia en Français

  • E E Cummings — E. E. Cummings Pour les articles homonymes, voir Cummings. E. E. Cummings en 1953 Edward Estlin Cummings, mieux connu sous le diminutif de E. E. Cumming …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Edward Cummings — E. E. Cummings Pour les articles homonymes, voir Cummings. E. E. Cummings en 1953 Edward Estlin Cummings, mieux connu sous le diminutif de E. E. Cumming …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Edward Estlin Cummings — E. E. Cummings Pour les articles homonymes, voir Cummings. E. E. Cummings en 1953 Edward Estlin Cummings, mieux connu sous le diminutif de E. E. Cumming …   Wikipédia en Français

  • James Sibley Watson — Dr. James Sibley Watson, Jr. (August 10, 1894 March 31, 1982) was a Rochester, New York, medical doctor, philanthropist, publisher, editor, and early experimenter in motion pictures.Born in New York, Dr. James Sibley Watson, Jr. was an heir to… …   Wikipedia

  • List of poets from the United States — The poets listed below were either born in the United States or else published much of their poetry while living in that country.A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z NOTOC A*Henry Abbey (1842 ndash;1911) *Sam Abrams (born… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”