Shaemas O'Sheel (September 19, 1886 – April 2, 1954) was an

Irish American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...

poet and critic. Born James Shields,O'Sheel, Shaemas, and Sophocles. ''Antigone'', University of Pennsylvania Press, 1961, p.8 he changed his name to an anglicized spelling of its Irish version soon after high school. He worked briefly for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

(1913-1916), held jobs with various newspapers, and did publicity and advertising work. Although third-generation Irish American and never visiting

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, he was active in the Irish independence movement. He was, in his own words, "a very ardent

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

and a staunch supporter of the

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". However, because he disagreed with Soviet

foreign policy Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...

, many communist publications (such as ''

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 ...

'') refused to publish his work. O'Sheel met the American painter, Marsden Hartley, through Alfred Stieglitz in 1909. As a member of the

League of American Writers The League of American Writers was an association of American novelists, playwrights, poets, journalists, and literary critics launched by the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) in 1935. The group included Communist Party members, and so-called " fellow ...

, O'Sheel served on its ''Keep America Out of War Committee'' in January 1940 during the period of the Hitler-Stalin pact.Franklin Folsom, ''Days of Anger, Days of Hope'',

University Press of Colorado The University Press of Colorado is a nonprofit publisher that was established in 1965. It is currently a member of the Association of University Presses and has been since 1982. Initially associated with Colorado public universities, the Univ ...

, 1994,

Publications

O'Sheel's published poetry collections include ''The Blossomy Bough'' (1912) and ''The Light Feet of Goats'' (1915).

Louis Untermeyer Louis Untermeyer (October 1, 1885 – December 18, 1977) was an American poet, anthologist, critic, and editor. He was appointed the fourteenth Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1961. Life and career Untermeyer was born in New Yo ...

characterized O'Sheel's poetry as possessing "mysticism and a muffled heroism". O'Sheel's work also appeared in 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 ...

'', the ''

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'', ''

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'', and other national publications.

References

Works

* * * * * * (Introductory Essay by O'Sheel: "On With the Dance.") * * * (Additional chapters prepared from Mr. Hale's notes by Shaemas O'Sheel.) * American people of Irish descent 1886 births 1954 deaths Poets from New York City American communists 20th-century American poets American male poets 20th-century American male writers {{US-poet-1880s-stub