Born at St. Paul, Minnesota, 1882. Two years later his family moved to New York, where he has lived ever since. Special student at Columbia, 1901-3. Has done settlement work, as assistant head worker of the Hudson Guild Settlement. Superintendent of the Hebrew Technical School for Girls, 1904-7. In 1916-7 edited the magazine, The Seven Arts (cf. Poetry, 9 [’16-’17]: 214).
Suggestions for Reading
1. The following influences have entered largely into Oppenheim’s work: Whitman, the Bible, and the theories of psycho-analysis developed by Freud and Jung. Without considering these, no fair estimate of the value of his work can be reached.
2. In what respects does his poetry reflect the Oriental temperament?
3. What strength do you find in his work? what weakness?
Bibliography
- Doctor Rast. 1909. (Short stories.)
- Monday Morning and Other Poems. 1909.
- Wild Oats. 1910. (Novel.)
- The Pioneers. 1910. (Poetic play.)
- *Pay-Envelopes. 1911. (Short stories.)
- The Nine-Tenths. 1911. (Novel.)
- The Olympian: A Story for the City. 1912.
- Idle Wives. 1914.
- *Songs for the New Age. 1914.
- The Beloved. 1915.
- War and Laughter. 1916. (Poems.)
- The Book of Self. 1917. (Poems.)
- Night. 1918. (Poetic drama in one act.)
- *The Solitary. 1919. (Poems.)
- The Mystic Warrior. 1921.
Studies and Reviews
- Untermeyer.
- Acad. 89 (’15): 218.
- Bookm. 30 (’09): 322 (portrait), 393.
- Dial, 67 (’19): 301.
- Ind. 88 (’16): 533 (portrait).
- Nation, 109 (’19): 441.
- New Statesman, 6 (’16): 332.
- Outlook, 102 (’12): 207 (portrait).
- Poetry, 5 (’14): 88; 11 (’18): 219; 16 (’20): 49; 20 (’22): 216.
- R. of Rs. 47 (’13): 243 (portrait)