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Janet Lewis

ジャネット・ルイス

Janetto Ruisu

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1899-08-17 （Chicago, Illinois, U.S.）
Died
1998-12-01 （Los Altos, California, U.S.） age 99
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Chicago (birthplace) → Berkeley, California (residence / teaching) → Stanford, California (teaching) → Los Altos, California (later life)

Career

Occupations
novelist, poet, librettist, short story writer, academic / teacher
Active Years
1920-1998
Memberships
University of Chicago Poetry Club (member), American Academy of Arts and Sciences (fellow)
Influenced By
Glenway Wescott, Elizabeth Madox Roberts, Yvor Winters (husband)

Education

University of Chicago
Country: United States
Member of a literary circle at the university

Awards

Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
1992
Organization: American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Wife of Martin Guerre

1941 historical novel / fiction

A historical tale of one man's deception and another's cowardice set in 16th-century France, exploring identity and truth.

deceptionidentitymoral conflicthistory and memory
Adaptations
  • [opera] The Wife of Martin Guerre (opera) / William Bergsma (作曲) (1956)

The Invasion: A Narrative of Events Concerning the Johnston Family of St. Mary's

1932 novel

A family narrative concerning the Johnston family of St. Mary's; an early novel that examines tensions between society and the individual.

familysocial tension
Adaptations
  • [opera libretto (derived work)] The Legend (opera based on The Invasion) / Bain Murray (作曲)

Good-bye, Son, and Other Stories

1946 short stories

A collection of short stories focusing on domestic life, moral questions, and subtle psychological portraits.

domestic lifemoralitypsychology

The Trial of Soren Qvist

1947 novel

A novel centered on a trial, addressing law, conscience, and individual responsibility.

justiceconscienceresponsibility

The Ghost of Monsieur Scarron

1959 novel

A novel with elements of the uncanny, dealing with history and interpersonal effects.

the uncannyrelationshipshistory

Against a Darkening Sky

1985 novel

A later novel portraying society and the darker aspects of individual experience from a mature perspective.

maturitysocial critique

The Indians in the Woods

1922 poetry

An early poetry collection emphasizing imagery and rhythm.

imagerynaturememory

Poems, 1924–1944

1950 poetry

A selected collection of poems from 1924 to 1944.

lyricismeveryday imagery

Bibliography

  • The Invasion: A Narrative of Events Concerning the Johnston Family of St. Mary's (1932)
  • The Wife of Martin Guerre (1941)
  • Good-bye, Son, and Other Stories (1946)
  • The Trial of Soren Qvist (1947)
  • The Ghost of Monsieur Scarron (1959)
  • Against a Darkening Sky (1985)
  • The Indians in the Woods (1922) (poetry)
  • Poems, 1924–1944 (1950) (poetry)
  • Poems Old and New, 1918–1978 (1981) (poetry)

Adaptations

  • The Wife of Martin Guerre (opera, music by William Bergsma, 1956)
  • The Last of the Mohicans (libretto for opera, music by Alva Henderson, 1976)
  • The Birthday of the Infanta (libretto for opera, music by Malcolm Seagrave, 1979)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
imagistlyricalprecise imageryattention to form
Recurring Motifs
hearth and homerural/local settingsmemory and historymoral dilemmas

Legacy

Janet Lewis is regarded as a significant 20th-century American poet and novelist, noted for her emphasis on imagery and rhythm and for her historical subjects. She collaborated on several opera libretti and was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Academic Societies

  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Archives

  • Stanford University Libraries (Janet Lewis Papers)
  • Yale University Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (related collections)

Trivia

  • Married poet-critic Yvor Winters in 1926.
  • Born in Chicago and educated at the University of Chicago.
  • The Wife of Martin Guerre was adapted as an opera; she collaborated with several composers on libretti.
  • Elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1992.
  • Died at home in Los Altos in 1998 at age 99.