Elizabeth Sewell (March 9, 1919 – January 12, 2001) was a British-American critic, poet, novelist, and professor who often wrote about the connections between science and literature.[1][2] Among her published works were five books of criticism, four novels, three books of poetry,[1] and many short stories, essays, and other work in periodicals in North America and Europe.[3] Of her books, the most widely held by libraries is The Orphic Voice: Poetry and Natural History.[4]
Elizabeth Sewell | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 9, 1919 Coonoor, India |
| Died | January 12, 2001 (aged 81) |
| Other names | Margaret Elizabeth Sewell |
| Education | Cambridge University, Ph.D. |
| Occupations |
|
| Organizations | |
| Spouse(s) | Anthony C. Sirignano, 1971 |
| Parent(s) | Robert Beresford Seymour and Dorothy (Dean) Sewell |
Sewell completed the requirements for a Bachelor of Arts from Cambridge University in 1942. From then to the end of World War II, she worked for the Ministry of Education in London before returning to Cambridge for a Master of Arts (1945) and a Ph.D. (1949) in modern languages.[3] She first visited the United States in 1949[1] and became a U.S. citizen in 1973.[3] She taught at Vassar College, the University of Notre Dame, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro,[1] Fordham University, Tougaloo College, and Hunter College,[5] and she was a visiting professor or writer at other universities.[3]
She held a Simon Fellowship at Manchester University (1955−57), a Howard Research Fellowship at Ohio State University (1949−50), an Ashley Fellowship at Trent University (1979), and a Presidential Scholarship at Mercer University (1982).[3] In 1981, she won poetry, fiction, and nonfiction awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.[5]
Sewell married Anthony C. Sirignano, a university lecturer in classics, in 1971.[5] She died in 2001 in Greensboro, North Carolina.[1]
Bibliography edit
Criticism edit
- The Structure of Poetry (1951) OCLC 1482159
- Paul Valery, the Mind in the Mirror (1952) OCLC 2963111
- The Field of Nonsense (1952) OCLC 1052656
- The Orphic Voice: Poetry and Natural History (1960) OCLC 422085509; introduction by David Schenck, New York : New York Review Books, [2021], ISBN 978-1-68137-218-1
- The Human Metaphor (1964) OCLC 331707
- Lewis Carroll: Voices from France (2008 – published posthumously) OCLC 299241116
Essays edit
Poetry edit
- Poems, 1947−1961 (1962) OCLC 250801018
- Signs and Cities (1968) OCLC 438358
- Acquist (1984) OCLC 10851184
Novels edit
- The Dividing of Time (1951) OCLC 1476092
- The Singular Hope (1955) OCLC 12587478
- Now Bless Thyself (1962) OCLC 1450833
- The Unlooked-For (1995) OCLC 35921684
Memoir edit
Other edit
Sewell's papers, including manuscripts, correspondence, research, diaries, audio, and other material, are on file in the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University.[6]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e "Elizabeth Sewell, 81, Versatile Writer". The New York Times. January 22, 2001. p. B6. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- ^ Charon, Rita (2001). "In Memoriam: Elizabeth Sewell". Literature and Medicine. 20 (1). Johns Hopkins University Press: 3–5. doi:10.1353/lm.2001.0002. PMID 11411032. S2CID 330367. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Schenck, David; Mullins, Phil. "On Reuniting Poetry and Science: A Memoir of Elizabeth Sewell, 1919–2001" (PDF). Polanyi Society. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
- ^ "Sewell, Elizabeth 1919−2001". WorldCat. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ a b c "(Margaret) Elizabeth Sewell". Contemporary Authors Online. Gale. 2001. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ "Poetry: Elizabeth Sewell". Boston University. Retrieved August 29, 2019.