This year marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology. Theanthology is a collection of over two hundred interconnected free verse epitaphs spoken by former residents of the fictional town of Spoon River, who come forward from their graves to tell us the truth about their lives. Sometimes, the truth is uncomfortable. Spoon River was an immediate and commercial success when it was published in 1915.
The publication of the anthology caused a sensation, with its frankness about sex, moral decay and hypocrisy. Capturing the nation's imagination, Spoon River Anthology quickly went through multiple printings and became one of the most popular books of poetry in the history of American literature.
Edgar Lee Masters 1868-1950
Edgar Lee Masters was born on the Kansas prairie but was brought up in small, rural towns in central Illinois.The towns were located not far from the actual Spoon River, a tributary of the Illinois River. Masters trained for the law and practiced as an attorney in Chicago for nearly thirty years. By 1915, he had published several books of poetry, plays and essays. Then he began to experiment with poetic form and his masterpiece was born.
Here are the opening lines from the first poem in the collection:
1. The Hill
Where are Elmer, Herman, Bert, Tom and Charley,
The weak of will, the strong of arm, the clown, the boozer, the fighter?
All, all are sleeping on the hill.
Although Masters would continue to write, none of his other work achieved the popularity or acclaim of Spoon River.
Over the years Spoon River Anthology has often been adapted for theatrical productions. With both large and small casts, with the addition of music, staged in small theaters, on college campuses, and even in cemeteries, Spoon River continues to shock and entertain.
Join actors Paddy and Jon Lynn and folk singer Patti Ecker for a dramatization of Spoon River Anthology at the Des Plaines Public Library on April 29, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.This fresh interpretation reveals the joys, sorrows and secrets of Edgar Lee Masters' unforgettable characters in story and song. Register Here
