Maxwell Bodenheim (1892–1954) was an American poet and novelist known for his Modernist style and bohemian lifestyle. A key figure in the Chicago Renaissance, he later became a well-known presence in Greenwich Village’s literary scene.
Born in Hermanville, Mississippi, he moved to Chicago in 1900, joining the Chicago Literary Renaissance alongside Ben Hecht. His early poetry, influenced by Imagism, appeared in Poetry magazine (1914,) and his first collection, Minna and Myself (1918,) established his reputation.
Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Bodenheim published ten poetry collections and thirteen novels, often exploring urban life, sexuality, and rebellion. Notable works include Blackguard (1923,) Replenishing Jessica (1925,) Ninth Avenue (1926,) Georgia May (1927,) Naked on Roller Skates (1930,) and A Virtuous Girl (1930.) His poetry collections include Advice (1920,) Against This Age (1923,) and Selected Poems 1914–44 (1946.)
His bohemian lifestyle led to financial struggles, and by the 1940s, he was homeless, selling poems in bars. He and his wife were murdered in 1954.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Maxwell Bodenheim
Poetry is the impish attempt to paint the color of the wind.
—Maxwell Bodenheim
Topics: Poetry, Poets
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