Emile Capouya was an American

essayist An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...

critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as Art criticism, art, Literary criticism, literature, Music journalism, music, Film criticism, cinema, Theater criticism, theater, Fas ...

, and writer. His book 'In the sparrow Hills' won the Sue Kaufman Prize of the

American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqua ...

. Mr. Capouya was born in Manhattan in 1925 and grew up in the Bronx.

Life

Capouya studied at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in New York City and started his working life at '' New Directions''. From 1969–1981 he was Literary Editor of ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...

'' and wrote for '' The New American Review'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' and '' The Saturday Review''. Capouya published the work of

Ezra Pound Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an List of poets from the United States, American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Ita ...

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...

and

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...

. In 1971 he was appointed associate professor of English at

Baruch College Baruch College (officially the Bernard M. Baruch College) is a public college in New York City, United States. It is a constituent college of the City University of New York system. Named for financier and statesman Bernard M. Baruch, the colle ...

, where he taught for ten years. In 1993 he published his first book of short stories, ''In the Sparrow Hills'', a compilation of stories based on his time with Handelsmarine in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It won the

Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction The Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction is an American literary award presented by the American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain ex ...

. In 1968, he married Keitha Capouya who is a publisher. Keitha was the founder of ''New Amsterdam Books''.

Literature

*''In the Sparrow Hills'', Algonquin Books 1993, * Ismail Kadare, Emile Capouya: ''Albanian Spring: The Anatomy of Tyranny'', Saqi Books 1994, * Emile Capouya, Keitha Capouya: ''Classic English Love Poems'', Hippocrene Books 1999, *''The Rising of the Moon'', Lyons Press 2003,

References

External links

*
NY Times Article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Capouya, Emile 1925 births 2005 deaths American literary critics American male non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers Columbia College (New York) alumni