The greatest American Jewish author of the nineteenth century, Emma Lazarus was a celebrated poet and humanitarian activist. This edition is a broad collection of her writings, including her essays, previously unpublished poems, her innovative late work, and, in its entirety, her most important book, Songs of a Semite (1882). Her best known poem, "The New Colossus" (the 1883 Statue of Liberty poem that made Lazarus a national icon), is also here, along with a selection of cultural documents that help contextualize her work in relation to contemporary debates about Jewish history, the Russian pogroms of the 1880s, the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, immigration, and antisemitism.

About the Author

Gregory Eiselein is a professor of English at Kansas State University. He is the author of Literature and Humanitarian Reform in the Civil War Era (1996) and the editor of Infelicia and Other Writings, by Adah Isaacs Menken (Broadview Press, 2002).

Reviews

"Gregory Eiselein has created an important historical-literary context for Emma Lazarus's writing; this edition will be invaluable in making her work accessible to twenty-first century readers." - Diane Lichtenstein, Beloit College

"Eiselein's expertly edited and annotated volume is an invaluable contribution to the recovery of lost texts by women writers. With its well-researched notes, historical contextualization, and supplementary materials, this superb edition is certain to become the definitive edition of Lazarus's works. An impressive achievement!." - Denise D. Knight, State University of New York, Cortland

"This collection provides a rich introduction to this important and under-appreciated American author. It is necessary reading for any scholar of nineteenth-century American poetry, nineteenth-century American woman writers, or the history of Jewish-American writing." - Marianne Noble, American University

Book Information
ISBN 9781551112855
Author Emma Lazarus
Format Paperback
Page Count 364
Imprint Broadview Press Ltd
Publisher Broadview Press Ltd
Weight(grams) 430g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 140mm * 19mm