Meridel Le Sueur (February 22, 1900,

Murray, Iowa {{Infobox settlement , official_name = Murray, Iowa , settlement_type = City , motto = Murray Matters , image_skyline = 19. Murray Trail Exhibits (Murray, Iowa) on the Mormon Pioneer National Histor ...

– November 14, 1996,

Hudson, Wisconsin Hudson is a city in and the county seat of St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 14,755. It is part of the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. History Several Li ...

) was an American writer associated with the

proletarian literature Proletarian literature refers here to the literature created by left-wing writers mainly for the class-conscious proletariat. Though the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' states that because it "is essentially an intended device of revolution", it is t ...

movement of the 1930s and 1940s. Born as Meridel Wharton, she assumed the name of her mother's second husband,

Arthur Le Sueur Arthur LeSueur or Arthur Le Sueur (December 7, 1867– March 19, 1950) was an American newspaper editor, politician, and lawyer. LeSueur, a socialist, served as the List of mayors of Minot, North Dakota, mayor of Minot, North Dakota from 1909 un ...

, the former Socialist mayor of

Minot, North Dakota Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Air Force base approximately north of the city. With a population of 48,377 at the 2 ...

Life and career

Le Sueur, the daughter of William Winston Wharton and Marian "Mary Del" Lucy, was born into a family of social and political activists. Her grandfather was a supporter of the Protestant fundamentalist

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting Temperance (virtue), temperance or total abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and ...

, and she "grew up among the radical farmer and labor groups ... like the Populists, the

Farmers' Alliance The Farmers' Alliance was an organized agrarian economic movement among American farmers that developed and flourished ca. 1875. The movement included several parallel but independent political organizations — the National Farmers' Alliance an ...

and the Wobblies, the

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), whose members are nicknamed "Wobblies", is an international labor union founded in Chicago, United States in 1905. The nickname's origin is uncertain. Its ideology combines general unionism with indu ...

." Le Sueur was heavily influenced by poems and stories that she heard from Native American women. "After a year studying dance and physical fitness at the American College of Physical Education in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, Meridel moved to

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 ...

, where she lived in an anarchist commune with

Emma Goldman Emma Goldman (June 27, 1869 – May 14, 1940) was a Russian-born Anarchism, anarchist revolutionary, political activist, and writer. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europ ...

and studied at the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a Private college, private drama school with two locations, one in New York City and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related ...

." Her acting career primarily took place in California, where she worked in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

as an extra in The Perils of Pauline and

Last of the Mohicans ''The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757'' is an 1826 historical romance novel by James Fenimore Cooper. It is the second book of the ''Leatherstocking Tales'' pentalogy and the best known to contemporary audiences. '' The Pathfinder'', p ...

, as a

stuntwoman A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

in silent movies, and as a writer and journalist. Starting in her late teens, she wrote for liberal newspapers about unemployment, migrant workers, and the Native American fight for autonomy. By 1925, she had become a member of the Communist Party. Like other writers of the period such as

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck ( ; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social percep ...

Nelson Algren Nelson Algren (born Nelson Ahlgren Abraham; March 28, 1909 – May 9, 1981) was an American writer. His 1949 novel '' The Man with the Golden Arm'' won the National Book Award and was adapted as the 1955 film of the same name. Algren articulate ...

, and

Jack Conroy John Wesley Conroy (December 5, 1899 – February 28, 1990) was a leftist American writer, also known as a worker-writer. He was best known for his contributions to proletarian literature: fiction and nonfiction about the life of American workers ...

, Le Sueur wrote about the struggles of the working class during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. She published articles in the ''

New Masses ''New Masses'' (1926–1948) was an American Marxist magazine closely associated with the Communist Party USA (CPUSA). It was the successor to both '' The Masses'' (1911–1917) and ''The Liberator'' (1918–1924). ''New Masses'' was later merge ...

'' and ''

The American Mercury ''The American Mercury'' was an American magazine published from 1924Staff (Dec. 31, 1923)"Bichloride of Mercury."''Time''. to 1981. It was founded as the brainchild of H. L. Mencken and drama critic George Jean Nathan. The magazine featured w ...

.'' She wrote several popular children's books, including the biographies, ''Nancy Hanks of Wilderness Road'', ''The Story of Davy Crockett'', and ''The Story of Johnny Appleseed'', and ''Sparrow Hawk'', among others. Her best known books are ''North Star Country'' (1945), a people's history of

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, ''Salute to Spring'', and the novel '' The Girl'', which was written in the 1930s but not published until 1978. In the 1950s, Le Sueur was blacklisted as a communist, but her reputation was revived in the 1970s, when she was hailed as a proto-

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

for her writings in support of women's rights. She also wrote on goddess spirituality in a poetry volume titled ''Rites of Ancient Ripening,'' which was illustrated by her daughter. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, she taught writing classes in her mother's home on Dupont Avenue near Douglas Avenue in Minneapolis. She was something of a magnet for aspiring writers, drawing students from as far as New York City. She lived in the Twin Cities for some time. During the 1960s, she traveled around the country, attending campus protests and conducting interviews. Meridel Le Sueur archive finding aid

Minnesota Historical Society The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Educational institution, educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the Minnesota Terr ...

In the 1970s, she spent much time living among the Navajo people in Arizona, returning to Minnesota in the summers to visit her growing extended family and friends. Late in her life, she lived with family in Minnesota.

"Women on the Breadlines"

The short 1932 piece "Women on the Breadlines" is one of Le Sueur's most recognized proletarian works. Here, LeSueur wrote of the struggles that women faced during the

Depression Era The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

and how they were confined to limiting roles. While most of the characters presented in this work are struggling women searching for work, some are depicted as having nowhere to go but to "work in the streets." Through this and other works, Le Sueur opened the door for future female artists that wanted to write confrontational poetry, mediating the personal and the political.

Legacy

She is commemorated in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, in the Meridel Le Sueur building in the

Cedar-Riverside Cedar-Riverside, also referred to as the West Bank, or simply Riverside, is a neighborhood within Minneapolis, Minnesota. Its boundaries are the Mississippi River to the north and east, Interstate 94 to the south, and Hiawatha Avenue and Inter ...

neighborhood. The song "Go" on the 1999

Indigo Girls Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duet (music), duo from Atlanta, Georgia, United States, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. The two met in Primary school, elementary school and began performing together as Secondary school, hig ...

album ''

Come On Now Social ''Come On Now Social'' is the seventh studio album by the Indigo Girls, released in 1999. Track listing #"Go" (Amy Ray) – 4:05 #"Soon to Be Nothing" (Emily Saliers) – 4:29 #"Gone Again" (Ray) – 3:27 #"Trouble" (Saliers) – 4:51 #"Sister" ...

'' has a spoken passage inspired by Le Sueur's "I Was Marching".

Amy Ray Amy Elizabeth Ray (born April 12, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the contemporary folk duo Indigo Girls with Emily Saliers. She also pursues a solo career, releasing ten albums under her own name, and founded the independent ...

said the song was written in honor of Le Sueur before performing it during the Indigo Girls Tiny Desk Concert. A play based on LeSueur's life, ''Hard Times Come Again No More'', written by her friend Martha Boesing was performed at the

Hennepin Center for the Arts The Hennepin Center for the Arts (HCA) is an art center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It occupies a building on Hennepin Avenue constructed in 1888 as a Masonic Temple. The building was designed by Long and Kees in the Richardsonia ...

' Illusion Theater in Minneapolis in 1994.

Selected works

*1930s ''The Girl'', novel *1940 ''Salute to Spring'', short stories *1945 ''North Star Country'', History of Minnesota. *1949 ''Nancy Hanks of Wilderness Road: A Story of Abraham Lincoln's Mother'', children's book *1951 ''Chanticleer of Wilderness Road: A Story of Davy Crockett'', children's book *1954 ''The River Road: A Story of Abraham Lincoln'', children's book *1954 ''Little Brother of the Wilderness: The Story of Johnny Appleseed'', children's book *1955 ''Crusaders: The Radical Legacy of Marian and Arthur LeSueur'' New York : Blue Heron Press, *1973 ''Conquistadores'' *1974 ''Mound Builders'' *1975 ''Rites of Ancient Ripening'', poems *1975 *1982 ''O.K. Baby'' *1984 ''I Hear Men Talking and Other Stories'' *1984 *1985 *1987 ''Sparrow Hawk'', children's book *1991 *1990 *1993 ''Ripening: Selected Work'', edited by Elaine Hedges, The Feminist Press. *1992 *1997

Quotes

*"When the workers send for you, then you know you're really good. Sometimes they would send money to pay the bus fare." *"I tell the young writers who visit: 'Carry a notebook. That is the secret of a radical writer. Write it down as it is happening.'"

References

External links

Meridel Le Sueur in MNopedia, the Minnesota Encyclopedia

The Meridel Le Sueur Official Website

Meridel Le Sueur archive
at the Minnesota Historical Society * * *Interview of Meridel Le Sueur by Robb Mitchell, Northern Lights TV Series #50 (1988):

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Le Sueur, Meridel 1900 births 1996 deaths 20th-century American novelists American children's writers American communists American Marxists American women novelists Novelists from Minnesota American women historians American women essayists American women children's writers 20th-century American women writers Communist women writers 20th-century American historians Proletarian literature 20th-century American essayists Minnesota socialists American Book Award winners American socialist feminists Historians from Minnesota People from Clarke County, Iowa Novelists from Iowa Historians from Iowa Activists from Minnesota Activists from Iowa