Dorothea Brande (12 January 1892 – 12 December 1948) was an American writer and editor in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. She wrote ''Becoming a writer'' in 1934, which remains in print today.

Biography

Alice Dorothea Alden Thompson was born in Chicago on 12 January 1892. She attended the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

, the

Lewis Institute The Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Illinois Tech and IIT, is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour ...

and the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, where she earned her Phi Beta Kappa. She married fellow Chicago newspaper reporter Herbert Brande in 1916. They divorced sometime before 1930. Her book ''Becoming a Writer'' (pub. 1934) offers advice for beginning and sustaining any writing enterprise and remains in print today. ''Wake Up and Live'' (pub. 1936) which sold more than a million copies. was used as the inspiration for the comedy film ''

Wake Up and Live ''Wake Up and Live'' is a 1937 Fox musical film directed by Sidney Lanfield and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck, starring Jack Haley and Alice Faye plus Walter Winchell and Ben Bernie as themselves. The film tells the story of a man attempting ...

'' in 1937. While she was serving as associate editor of '' The American Review'' she married the journal's owner and editor,

Seward Collins Seward Bishop Collins (April 22, 1899 – December 8, 1952) was an American New York socialite and publisher. By the end of the 1920s, he was a self-described "fascism, fascist". Early life and education Collins was born in Albion, Orleans Co ...

in 1936. Collins also served as the managing editor of ''The Bookman''. Collins was a prominent literary figure in New York and a proponent of an American version of

fascism Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...

. Brande died in Boston on 17 December 1948.

Selected works

Books

* * * * * *

Short stories

* (Published under the name 'Dorothea Thompson') * (A Love story) *

References

External links

* Read ' Becoming a Writer' online at archive.org * Read
Wake Up and Live
online at archive.org
'Fascist Sympathies: On Dorothea Brande', The Nation, 13 August 2013
* Four part podcast series that explores 'Wake Up and Live' through the lens of Frank Sinatra. 1, 2, 3, 4
Wake Up and Live 1937 Film

What does 'Act as if it were impossible to fail' really mean?

Correspondence
- These "Papers of H.L. Mencken 1912-1949" includes correspondence from Mencken to Dorothea Brande.
Quotes of Dorothea Brande

Dorothea Brande at 'The Open Library'

Dorothea Brande at 'The Internet Archive'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brande, Dorothea Illinois Institute of Technology alumni Brande, Dorothea Brande, Dorothea Writers from Chicago American print editors University of Chicago alumni University of Michigan alumni Women print editors