Richard Watson Gilder

Richard Watson Gilder was an American poet, editor, and critic who played a significant role in the American literary scene of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, alongside notable figures such as Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and Mark Twain. He was a prominent figure in the New York City literary circle, which included Edith Wharton, Henry James, and Theodore Dreiser. Gilder's work was heavily influenced by the Transcendentalist movement, led by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, and he was also associated with the Harvard University-based Saturday Club, which counted James Russell Lowell and Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. among its members. His literary career was marked by his association with the Century Magazine, where he worked alongside Roswell Smith and Robert Underwood Johnson.

● Early Life and Education

Gilder was born in Bordentown, New Jersey, to a family of Quakers, and his early life was shaped by the values of William Penn and the Society of Friends. He attended Philadelphia Central High School and later enrolled in Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, but his true passion lay in literature and poetry, which led him to the works of John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Lord Byron. Gilder's interest in writing was encouraged by his family, including his father, William Henry Gilder, a minister and educator who was friends with Horace Mann and Ralph Waldo Emerson. He began writing poetry and short stories at an early age, drawing inspiration from the American Renaissance and the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Edgar Allan Poe.

● Career

Gilder's career in literary editing began in the 1860s, when he worked as an assistant editor for the Hours at Home magazine, alongside Mary Mapes Dodge and Thomas Bailey Aldrich. He later became the editor-in-chief of the Century Magazine, a position he held from 1881 until his death in 1909, during which time he worked with notable writers such as Henry Adams, William Dean Howells, and Stephen Crane. Under his leadership, the Century Magazine became a prominent platform for American literature, featuring the works of Edith Wharton, Theodore Dreiser, and Frank Norris. Gilder was also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, which included William James, John Singer Sargent, and Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

● Literary Work

Gilder's own literary work includes several collections of poetry, such as The New Day and A Book of Music, which reflect his interest in music and the arts, as well as his admiration for the works of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. His poetry was praised by critics such as William Dean Howells and Henry James, who appreciated his unique style and lyrical voice, which was influenced by the Romantic movement and the works of John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley. Gilder's essays and criticism were also widely published, and he was known for his insightful reviews of the works of American authors such as Mark Twain, Edith Wharton, and Theodore Dreiser.

● Personal Life

Gilder was married to Helena de Kay Gilder, a painter and illustrator who was a member of the Art Students League of New York, and the couple had several children, including Rodman de Kay Gilder and Dorothy Gilder. The family was part of the New York City social circle, which included J.P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, and John Jacob Astor IV. Gilder was also a close friend of presidents such as Theodore Roosevelt and Grover Cleveland, and he was involved in various philanthropic efforts, including the New York City Mission Society and the American Red Cross.

● Legacy

Gilder's legacy as a literary editor and poet is still celebrated today, and his contributions to American literature are recognized by scholars and critics such as Harold Bloom and Alfred Kazin. The Richard Watson Gilder Prize is awarded annually by the Poetry Society of America, which was founded by Robert Underwood Johnson and Edmund Clarence Stedman. Gilder's work continues to be studied by students of American literature at universities such as Harvard University, Yale University, and Columbia University, and his influence can be seen in the works of later American writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and T.S. Eliot. Category:American poets