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Those Who Perish
The first anti-Nazi novel to be published in the United States, Those Who Perish (1934) was written after Edward Dahlberg’s 1933 trip to Germany in the early weeks of Hitler’s rule. Transposing the crisis of European fascism to a small Jewish community in New Jersey, the novel explores different reactions to the possibility of totalitarianism crossing the Atlantic. Hailed as “a memorable addition to American revolutionary literature” by Stanley Burnshaw in the New Masses , Dahlberg’s book is more notable today for its sustained inquiry into the dystopian undercurrents already at play in American society.
About the
Edward Dahlberg (1900–1977) was a novelist, essayist, and critic. Born in Boston to an itinerant mother, and later raised in an orphanage, Dahlberg graduated from the Jewish Orphan’s Asylum High School in Cleveland, Ohio, before enlisting in the US Army in 1917. In the 1920s, he joined other American expats in Paris, and in 1929 published his first novel, Bottom Dogs (1929), with an introduction by D. H. Lawrence. This was followed by over a dozen books of fiction, essays, memoir, and poetry. Dahlberg’s career, which began in a proletarian style common in the politically charged 1930s, turned controversial when he changed his political commitments as well as his ideas about contemporary literature. Dahlberg was called “one of the shrewdest, most rugged and interesting ‘failures’ in American letters” in the New York Review of Books and a “curmudgeon of American letters” in the New York Times —leading Hilton Kramer, writing after Dahlberg’s return to literary prominence toward the end of his life, to call him “the literary phoenix of his generation.”
About the
Edward Dahlberg (1900–1977) was a novelist, essayist, and critic. Born in Boston to an itinerant mother, and later raised in an orphanage, Dahlberg graduated from the Jewish Orphan’s Asylum High School in Cleveland, Ohio, before enlisting in the US Army in 1917. In the 1920s, he joined other American expats in Paris, and in 1929 published his first novel, Bottom Dogs (1929), with an introduction by D. H. Lawrence. This was followed by over a dozen books of fiction, essays, memoir, and poetry. Dahlberg’s career, which began in a proletarian style common in the politically charged 1930s, turned controversial when he changed his political commitments as well as his ideas about contemporary literature. Dahlberg was called “one of the shrewdest, most rugged and interesting ‘failures’ in American letters” in the New York Review of Books and a “curmudgeon of American letters” in the New York Times —leading Hilton Kramer, writing after Dahlberg’s return to literary prominence toward the end of his life, to call him “the literary phoenix of his generation.”
- GenresFiction
144 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1934
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About the author
Edward Dahlberg
39 books24 followersHis first novel, Bottom Dogs, based on his childhood experiences at the orphanage and his travels in the American West, was published in London with an introduction by D. H. Lawrence. With his advance money, Dahlberg returned to New York City and resided in Greenwich Village. He visited Germany in 1933 and in reaction briefly joined the Communist Party, but left the Party by 1936. From the 1940s onwards, Dahlberg made his living as an author and also taught at various colleges and universities. In 1948, he taught briefly at the experimental Black Mountain College. He was replaced on the staff by his friend and fellow author, Charles Olson.
He was an expatriate writer of the 1920s, a proletarian novelist of the 1930s, a spokesman for a fundamental humanism in the 1940s. For a number of years, Dahlberg devoted himself to literary study. His extensive readings of the works of Dante, Shakespeare, Thoreau and many others resulted in a writing style quite different from the social realism that characterized his earlier writing.
He moved to the Danish island of Bornholm in 1955 while working on The Flea of Sodom. The Sorrows of Priapus was published in 1957, becoming his most successful book thus far. He later moved to Mallorca, while working on Because I Was Flesh, an autobiography which was published in 1964. During the 1960s and 1970s, he became quite prolific and further refined his unique style through the publication of poetry, autobiographical works, fiction and criticism.
He was an expatriate writer of the 1920s, a proletarian novelist of the 1930s, a spokesman for a fundamental humanism in the 1940s. For a number of years, Dahlberg devoted himself to literary study. His extensive readings of the works of Dante, Shakespeare, Thoreau and many others resulted in a writing style quite different from the social realism that characterized his earlier writing.
He moved to the Danish island of Bornholm in 1955 while working on The Flea of Sodom. The Sorrows of Priapus was published in 1957, becoming his most successful book thus far. He later moved to Mallorca, while working on Because I Was Flesh, an autobiography which was published in 1964. During the 1960s and 1970s, he became quite prolific and further refined his unique style through the publication of poetry, autobiographical works, fiction and criticism.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 1, 2019
***3.5 stars***
Intersecting vignettes of various Jewish people during the time of the New Deal in NYC and the distant news if the rise of Nazism. Interesting read even if i didn't feel a connection to the material.
Intersecting vignettes of various Jewish people during the time of the New Deal in NYC and the distant news if the rise of Nazism. Interesting read even if i didn't feel a connection to the material.
Displaying 1 of 1 review