Delmore Schwartz

In our second lecture, Professor Wisse discusses the poet and critic Delmore Schwartz. Born to immigrant Jewish parents, Schwartz took advantage of American freedom to become a writer of note at a very young age. Nevertheless, he believed that being Jewish was not altogether reconcilable with American life. Revered by many long after his early passing, Schwartz was an important cautionary voice amidst a wave of Jewish optimism.