John Frederick Matheus (September 10, 1887 – February 19, 1983) was an American writer and a scholar who was active during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s. He is well known for his short stories, and he also wrote essays, plays and poetry. His story "Fog" won first place in ''Opportunity'' magazine's literary contest in 1925 and was published that same year in

Alain Locke Alain LeRoy Locke (September 13, 1885 – June 9, 1954) was an American writer, philosopher, educator, and patron of the arts. Distinguished in 1907 as the first African-American Rhodes Scholar, Locke became known as the philosophical architect ...

's famous anthology ''

The New Negro ''The New Negro: An Interpretation'' (1925) is an anthology of fiction, poetry, and essays on African and African-American art and literature edited by Alain Locke, who lived in Washington, DC, and taught at Howard University during the Harlem ...

''. Matheus won first prize in the ''

Crisis A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...

'' magazine's contest in 1926 with his story "Swamp Moccasin". His works were influenced by

Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and became best known for her novel '' Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1852), which depicts the ha ...

's ''

Uncle Tom's Cabin ''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U ...

'',

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

's tales, and the writings of

Phillis Wheatley Phillis Wheatley Peters, also spelled Phyllis and Wheatly ( – December 5, 1784) was an American author who is considered the first African-American author of a published book of poetry. Gates, Henry Louis, ''Trials of Phillis Wheatley: Ameri ...

and

Paul Laurence Dunbar Paul Laurence Dunbar (June 27, 1872 – February 9, 1906) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Dayton, Ohio, to parents who had been enslaved in Kentucky before the American C ...

Biography

John Frederick Matheus was born in September 10, 1887, to John William, a former slave, and Mary Susan Brown Matheus in

Keyser, West Virginia Keyser () is a city in and the county seat of Mineral County, West Virginia. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,853 at the 2020 census. History Keyser, the county seat of Mineral County, i ...

. After being threatened at his workplace, his father found a job in

Steubenville Steubenville is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Ohio River 33 miles west of Pittsburgh, it had a population of 18,161 at the 2020 census. The city's name is derived from Fort Steuben, a 1 ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, and the family moved to Ohio. This relocation to a new state and new environment next to the Ohio River was the best opportunity for the young Matheus to collect material for his 24 short stories. In addition to stories drawing on the Ohio landscape, he went on to write stories based on his travels to Africa, Europe, and Caribbean. In the terms of his writing, he was influenced by other writers such as

, and

. He was interested in writing about themes related to African-American life and experiences.

Education and career

Matheus received a B.A. from

Western Reserve University Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...

(now Case Western Reserve) in 1910 and received an M.A. from

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 Manha ...

in 1921. After starting his graduate studies in Sorbonne in Paris in 1925, he continued his studies at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

in 1927. After his first teaching job as Latin instructor and professor of modern languages at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College in Tallahassee in 1911, he continued to teach throughout his life, teaching foreign languages at West Virginia State College (now West Virginia State University) from 1922 until his retirement in 1958. By the mid-1920s, his creative writing was receiving critical acclaim and attention. In 1925, he won the first prize of the ''

Opportunity Opportunity may refer to: Places * Opportunity, Montana, an unincorporated community, United States * Opportunity, Nebraska, an unincorporated community, United States * Opportunity, Washington, a former census-designated place, United States * ...

'' magazine literary contest for his short story "Fog", which was included in

's anthology ''

''. The following year in 1926, Matheus won first prize for drama from ''Opportunity'' with his one-act play ''Cruiter'', and his essay "Sand" won first prize in the magazine's "personal experience" category. He received another first prize in the 1926 ''

'' magazine contest for his story "Swamp Moccasin". Matheus also published poetry in ''The Crisis'' and ''Opportunity'', and his poem "Requiem" was included in

Countee Cullen Countee Cullen (born Countee LeRoy Porter; May 30, 1903 – January 9, 1946) was an American poet, novelist, children's writer, and playwright, particularly well known during the Harlem Renaissance. Early life Childhood Countee LeRoy Porter ...

's 1927 anthology ''

Caroling Dusk ''Caroling Dusk: An Anthology of Verse by Black Poets of the Twenties: Anthology of Black Verse'' is a 1927 poetry anthology that was edited by Countee Cullen. It has been republished at least three times, in 1955, 1974, and 1995 and included work ...

''. He taught in

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

from 1927 to the mid-1940s. In 1939, he wrote the libretto of the opera, ''Ouanga!'', based on his knowledge of Haitian history and music. The opera, about

Jean-Jacques Dessalines Jean-Jacques Dessalines (Haitian Creole: ''Jan-Jak Desalin''; ; 20 September 1758 – 17 October 1806) was a leader of the Haitian Revolution and the first ruler of an independent Haiti under the 1805 constitution. Under Dessalines, Haiti bec ...

who helped his country to liberate from the French, was performed in Chicago in 1939. In 1956, ''Ouanga!'' was performed at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Matheus died in Florida on February 19, 1983, aged 95.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matheus, John F. 1887 births 1983 deaths 20th-century African-American writers 20th-century American writers Case Western Reserve University alumni Columbia University alumni Florida A&M University faculty People from Institute, West Virginia People from Keyser, West Virginia People from Steubenville, Ohio West Virginia State University faculty Writers from West Virginia