The “Objectivists”: A Website Dedicated to the “Objectivist” Poets By Steel Wagstaff A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (English) at the UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN‐MADISON 2018 Date of final oral examination: 5/4/2018 The dissertation is approved by the following members of the Final Oral Committee: Lynn Keller, Professor, English Tim Yu, Associate Professor, English Mark Vareschi, Assistant Professor, English David Pavelich, Director of Special Collections, UW-Madison Libraries © Copyright by Steel Wagstaff 2018 Original portions of this project licensed under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license. All Louis Zukofsky materials copyright © Musical Observations, Inc. Used by permission. i TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ..................................................................................... vi Abstract ................................................................................................... vii Introduction ............................................................................................... 1 The Lives ................................................................................................ 31 Who were the “Objectivists”? .............................................................................................................................. 31 Core “Objectivists” .............................................................................................................................................. 31 The Formation of the “Objectivist” Core ........................................................................................................... 35 Imagining a Network Graph ............................................................................................................................... 38 The Shadow of Ezra Pound ................................................................................................................................ 42 Other “Objectivists” ............................................................................................................................................. 51 Writers Published in the “OBJECTIVISTS” 1931 issue of Poetry ................................................................ 52 Almost Contributors .......................................................................................................................................... 105 Writers Published in An “Objectivists” Anthology........................................................................................ 108 Carl Rakosi Biography........................................................................... 116 Family Background .............................................................................................................................................. 116 Parents ................................................................................................................................................................. 116 Maternal Grandparents ...................................................................................................................................... 118 Paternal Grandparents ....................................................................................................................................... 119 Emigrating to the United States ......................................................................................................................... 121 A Midwestern Childhood.................................................................................................................................... 124 College Years........................................................................................................................................................ 130 Starting a Career ................................................................................................................................................... 136 Cleveland ............................................................................................................................................................. 136 New York City .................................................................................................................................................... 138 Back to School in Madison ............................................................................................................................... 139 Boston ................................................................................................................................................................. 141 ii (More) Graduate School in Texas .................................................................................................................... 142 Rakosi and Zukofsky ........................................................................................................................................... 144 Becoming a Social Worker .................................................................................................................................. 148 Chicago ................................................................................................................................................................ 148 New Orleans ....................................................................................................................................................... 148 Return to New York City .................................................................................................................................. 150 Joining the Communist Party ............................................................................................................................. 151 Marriage to Leah Jaffe ......................................................................................................................................... 154 Abandoning Poetry.............................................................................................................................................. 156 Callman Rawley, Therapist and Social Work Administrator ........................................................................... 158 Cleveland ............................................................................................................................................................. 158 Putting Down Roots in Minneapolis ............................................................................................................... 158 Retirement and the Return to Poetry................................................................................................................. 159 Move to San Francisco ...................................................................................................................................... 164 Last Years ............................................................................................................................................................. 165 Life After Leah ................................................................................................................................................... 166 The Work .............................................................................................. 168 “Objectivist” Publications .................................................................................................................................. 169 The “OBJECTIVISTS” 1931 issue of Poetry magazine ............................................................................... 169 An “Objectivists” Anthology ............................................................................................................................ 177 Book Publishing Efforts, Real and Imagined ................................................................................................... 179 To, Publishers ..................................................................................................................................................... 180 Writers Extant .................................................................................................................................................... 186 The Objectivist Press ......................................................................................................................................... 190 RMR Press .......................................................................................................................................................... 198 Other 1930s Anthologies .................................................................................................................................... 199 Profile .................................................................................................................................................................. 199 Active Anthology ............................................................................................................................................... 201 Modern Things ................................................................................................................................................... 204 iii Little Magazines ................................................................................................................................................... 206 The Dial ..............................................................................................................................................................