Dictionary of Literary Influences: The Twentieth Century, 1914-2000

by John Powell

Overview

Treating the cultural giants of the 20th century, this volume traces their reading habits and intellectual development, as well as their contributions to Western culture. Suggesting the literary influences on these figures, the book includes 355 entries on people from a broad range of fields, including scientists, politicians, business figures, writers, religious leaders, and figures from the performing arts and popular culture.

The volume is a handy companion to Powell's earlier volume, Biographical Dictionary of Literary Influences: The Nineteenth Century, 1800-1914. Reflecting non-Western influences on Western culture, the volume includes such Asian and African figures as Mohandas Gandhi and Wole Soyinka, while also covering the significant Western figures. As the volume recognizes, forms of cultural influence evolved in the 20th century to include more aural and visual influences. Yet the volume still reveals fascinating literary influences throughout the century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313317842
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/28/2004
Pages:	648
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.38(d)

About the Author

JOHN POWELL is Associate Professor of History at Cumberland College. In addition to the companion volume, Dictionary of Literary Influences: The Nineteenth Century, 1800-1914 (2001), he most recently published an article on the Third Marquess of Lansdowne in a special issue of Parliamentary History (2003).

Table of Contents

CONTENTSPreface viiAcknowledgments xiiiIntroduction xvThe Dictionary 1Index 573About the Contributors 609

Editorial Reviews

A companion to Powell's Biographical Dictionary of Literary Influences: The Nineteenth Century, 1800-1914 (2000), this volume contains 355 signed entries showing how key 20th-century figures have been influenced by literature. The average one-page entry aims to provide an "assessment of specific works and authors known to have influenced the subject" and a bibliography of "principal archival collections, standard biographical resources and published materials specifically related to the subject's reading." The individuals cited, who range from inventors, authors, artists, poets, and critics to politicians, historians, businessmen, and scientists, have been selected for the extent and nature of their influence upon Western civilization at the national or international level and a career distinguished by substantial achievement. Those who made the cut include Hitler, Stalin, Lenin, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, Margaret Atwood, Amelia Earhart, Walt Disney, Joe DiMaggio, and Ezra Pound. While this book is not intended to be all-inclusive, it may be just as interesting to note who was excluded as who was included. For example, Edmund Wilson, John Wayne, and Allen Ginsburg are included, yet Harold Bloom, Marilyn Monroe, and John Ashbery are not. The volume also features numerous cross references and a detailed index. Overall, it would be useful for interdisciplinary studies or research because it combines a subject's literary history with biographical information. Recommended for academic and larger public libraries. [The third and final volume in this set, Dictionary of Literary Influences: The Twenty-First Century, is planned for future publication.-Ed.]-Laurie Selwyn, Grayson Cty. Law Lib., Sherman, TX Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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