Melville Henry Cane (April 15, 1879 – March 10, 1980) was an American poet and

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solicit ...

. He studied at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, and was the author of the influential book, ''Making a Poem'' (1953).

Early life and education

As a

student in 1900, Cane worked as a

reporter A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

at the ''

New York Evening Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established i ...

'' and also wrote poetry. He also co-wrote the 1900

Varsity Show The Varsity Show is one of the oldest traditions at Columbia University and its oldest performing arts presentation. Founded in 1894 as a fundraiser for the university's fledgling athletic teams, the Varsity Show now draws together the entire Col ...

at Columbia, writing lyrics for libretto ''The Governor's Vrouw'' (1900), a two-act comic opera he co-wrote with

Henry Sydnor Harrison Henry Sydnor Harrison (1880–1930) was an American novelist, born in Sewanee, Tenn. He graduated from Columbia in 1900, and received an honorary A.M. from the same university in 1913. In 1914, he was elected a member of the National Institute ...

, while John Erskine write the music. Cane earned his law degree in 1903 and later specialized in copyright law.

Career

Cane was a legal counsel to notable writers like

Sinclair Lewis Harry Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American writer and playwright. In 1930, he became the first writer from the United States (and the first from the Americas) to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, which was ...

Upton Sinclair Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. (September 20, 1878 – November 25, 1968) was an American writer, muckraker, political activist and the 1934 Democratic Party nominee for governor of California who wrote nearly 100 books and other works in sever ...

Ayn Rand Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum;, . Most sources transliterate her given name as either ''Alisa'' or ''Alissa''. , 1905 – March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and p ...

William Saroyan William Saroyan (; August 31, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an Armenian-American novelist, playwright, and short story writer. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940, and in 1943 won the Academy Award for Best Story for the film ''T ...

, and

Thomas Wolfe Thomas Clayton Wolfe (October 3, 1900 – September 15, 1938) was an American novelist of the early 20th century. Wolfe wrote four lengthy novels as well as many short stories, dramatic works, and novellas. He is known for mixing highly origi ...

and also served on the board of directors for Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Inc. Cane was also awarded the

Frost Medal The Poetry Society of America is a literary organization founded in 1910 by poets, editors, and artists. It is the oldest poetry organization in the United States. Past members of the society have included such renowned poets as Witter Bynner, Ro ...

by the Poetry Society of America in 1971 for lifetime achievement. Some of Cane's works are: ''January Garden'' (1926), ''Behind Dark Places (1930), ''And Pastures New'' (1956) and ''Snow Towards Evening'' (1974).

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * *

References

External links

Finding aid to Melville Cane papers at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
1879 births 1980 deaths American centenarians American lawyers American male poets American poets Men centenarians {{US-law-bio-stub Columbia Law School alumni Columbia College (New York) alumni