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Kenneth Fearing

Kenneth Fearing is an author that has been referred to as one of the most influential American poets of the mid-20th century. He was born in 1902 in Chicago, Illinois and graduated from the University of Illinois. His career began in the 1920s as a newspaper reporter in St. Louis, Missouri, which influenced his writing.

Fearing worked with the WPA in the 1930s and wrote a novel called 'The Big Clock'. This work brought him widespread critical acclaim and was eventually made into a movie in 1948. During the time of the Great Depression, Fearing wrote prolifically and wrote poetry of a social-realist bent that explored the effects of economic and political pressures in American life during that time.

During World War II, Fearing was the editor of two newspapers in New York and wrote poetry and theatre reviews. He started his own agency to represent his work, negotiating his own contracts and publishing rights.

Fearing grew to be one of the most influential poets of his generation. His work was inspired by the jazz music of the time, which he said gave him a sense of freedom and adventure. He wrote highly experimental and modernist poems that explored themes such as fear, paranoia, frustration, and despair.

His work was often dark, referring to loneliness, solitude, and alienation. He wrote about the mundane and often wrote a kind of social commentary about American culture and life. He wrote about the American dream and how often it was an elusive goal.

Fearing was also a politically outspoken writer. He wrote in support of the civil rights movement and was critical of how society was treating African Americans. He was also an atheist and his views were often reflected in his poetry.

Fearing was also a gifted short story writer and wrote some of the earliest detective stories. He wrote in a style that often combined social commentary with a dark atmosphere. He wrote stories about criminals and detectives that closely explore their psychological makeup and motivations.

Kenneth Fearing's work had an immense influence on literature in the mid-20th century. His work was often reflective of the social and political nature of his time period and contained many of the themes and ideas that still resonate today. He was a writer of great skill and creativity and his work will remain an important and influential part of American literature.

Bibliography

• Danger is My Business (1933)
• Great Maria (1934)
• Poems (1937)
• The Big Clock (1946)
• Nightmare Alley (1947)
• The Big Clock: Poems (1949)
• Collected Poems 1930�1950 (1951)
• The Coffee House (1954)
• Angel in the Forest (1957)
• A Time to Reap (1960)
• Day Dark, Night Bright (1962)
• Collected Poems 1930�1970 (1970)