Blanche Knopf
Encyclopedia
Blanche Wolf Knopf was the president of Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. and wife of publisher Alfred Knopf
, with whom she established the firm in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled the world seeking new authors. Blanche was especially influential in having European and Latin American literature translated into English and published in the United States. After World War II she was one of the first American publishers to travel to Europe, and from then on she was in charge of all European efforts of the firm.
For her accomplishments in developing and promoting the literature of France, she was named a Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur
by the French government in 1949, and became an Officier de la Légion d'honneur in 1960. She was also honored by Brazil with the Order of the Southern Cross
.
, and her mother Bertha.
She met Alfred Knopf
in 1911 in Lawrence, New York
. They were married in 1916. Their son, Alfred "Pat" Knopf
, was born on June 17, 1918.
, a Russian wolfhound imprint marking Knopf titles. She became the Vice President of the company when it was incorporated in 1918. Knopf became president of Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. in 1957 when Alfred Knopf
became the chairman.
Knopf is credited for advancing the careers of numerous authors, serving as an adviser while agreeing to publish the work of several influential authors. The Knopfs published the work of eleven Nobel Prize winners and eighteen Pulitzer Prize-winning titles.
Knopf frequently traveled to Europe and Latin America to meet foreign authors and publishers.
She is credited with recruiting Sigmund Freud
, Albert Camus
, André Gide
, Jean-Paul Sartre
, Simone de Beauvoir
, Ilya Ehrenburg
, Mikhail Sholokhov, Thomas Mann
, and Gilberto Freyre
, striking deals to publish translations of their works in the United States.
Knopf also worked closely with many American writers, including John Updike
, Carl Van Vechten
, Willa Cather
, H.L. Mencken, Dashiell Hammett
and Langston Hughes
.
Alfred A. Knopf (person)
Alfred Abraham Knopf, Sr. was a leading American publisher of the 20th century, and founder of Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.. His contemporaries included the likes of Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer, and Frank Nelson Doubleday, J. Henry Harper and Henry Holt...
, with whom she established the firm in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled the world seeking new authors. Blanche was especially influential in having European and Latin American literature translated into English and published in the United States. After World War II she was one of the first American publishers to travel to Europe, and from then on she was in charge of all European efforts of the firm.
For her accomplishments in developing and promoting the literature of France, she was named a Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
by the French government in 1949, and became an Officier de la Légion d'honneur in 1960. She was also honored by Brazil with the Order of the Southern Cross
Order of the Southern Cross
The National Order of the Southern Cross is a Brazilian order of chivalry founded by Emperor Pedro I on 1 December 1822. This order was intended to commemorate the independence of Brazil and the coronation of Pedro I...
.
Family and early life
Blanche Wolf was born in New York City to Julius Wolf, a Jeweler born in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, and her mother Bertha.
She met Alfred Knopf
Alfred A. Knopf (person)
Alfred Abraham Knopf, Sr. was a leading American publisher of the 20th century, and founder of Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.. His contemporaries included the likes of Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer, and Frank Nelson Doubleday, J. Henry Harper and Henry Holt...
in 1911 in Lawrence, New York
Lawrence, New York
Lawrence, New York may refer to:*Lawrence, Nassau County, New York, a village*Lawrence, St. Lawrence County, New York, a town...
. They were married in 1916. Their son, Alfred "Pat" Knopf
Alfred A. Knopf, Jr.
Alfred Abraham Knopf, Jr. was one of the founders of Atheneum Publishers in 1959.-Biography:He was the only child of publisher Alfred A. Knopf, Sr. and Blanche Wolf. He was born in White Plains, New York, on June 17, 1918. At 7, in 1925 he was sent to a boarding school, first at the Riverdale...
, was born on June 17, 1918.
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Knopf began Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. with her future husband in New York in 1915. She learned the mechanics of printing and publishing and went on to become a highly influential editor. Knopf is credited with designing the BorzoiBorzoi
The borzoi is a breed of domestic dog also called the Russian wolfhound and descended from dogs brought to Russia from central Asian countries. It is similar in shape to a greyhound, and is also a member of the sighthound family.The system by which Russians over the ages named their sighthounds...
, a Russian wolfhound imprint marking Knopf titles. She became the Vice President of the company when it was incorporated in 1918. Knopf became president of Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. in 1957 when Alfred Knopf
Alfred A. Knopf (person)
Alfred Abraham Knopf, Sr. was a leading American publisher of the 20th century, and founder of Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.. His contemporaries included the likes of Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer, and Frank Nelson Doubleday, J. Henry Harper and Henry Holt...
became the chairman.
Knopf is credited for advancing the careers of numerous authors, serving as an adviser while agreeing to publish the work of several influential authors. The Knopfs published the work of eleven Nobel Prize winners and eighteen Pulitzer Prize-winning titles.
Knopf frequently traveled to Europe and Latin America to meet foreign authors and publishers.
She is credited with recruiting Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
, Albert Camus
Albert Camus
Albert Camus was a French author, journalist, and key philosopher of the 20th century. In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement, which was opposed to some tendencies of the Surrealist movement of André Breton.Camus was awarded the 1957...
, André Gide
André Gide
André Paul Guillaume Gide was a French author and winner of the Nobel Prize in literature in 1947. Gide's career ranged from its beginnings in the symbolist movement, to the advent of anticolonialism between the two World Wars.Known for his fiction as well as his autobiographical works, Gide...
, Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
, Simone de Beauvoir
Simone de Beauvoir
Simone-Ernestine-Lucie-Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir, often shortened to Simone de Beauvoir , was a French existentialist philosopher, public intellectual, and social theorist. She wrote novels, essays, biographies, an autobiography in several volumes, and monographs on philosophy, politics, and...
, Ilya Ehrenburg
Ilya Ehrenburg
Ilya Grigoryevich Ehrenburg was a Soviet writer, journalist, translator, and cultural figure.Ehrenburg is among the most prolific and notable authors of the Soviet Union; he published around one hundred titles. He became known first and foremost as a novelist and a journalist - in particular, as a...
, Mikhail Sholokhov, Thomas Mann
Thomas Mann
Thomas Mann was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and 1929 Nobel Prize laureate, known for his series of highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novellas, noted for their insight into the psychology of the artist and the intellectual...
, and Gilberto Freyre
Gilberto Freyre
Gilberto de Mello Freyre was a Brazilian sociologist, anthropologist, historian, writer, painter and congressman. His best-known work is a sociological treatise named Casa-Grande & Senzala...
, striking deals to publish translations of their works in the United States.
Knopf also worked closely with many American writers, including John Updike
John Updike
John Hoyer Updike was an American novelist, poet, short story writer, art critic, and literary critic....
, Carl Van Vechten
Carl van Vechten
Carl Van Vechten was an American writer and photographer who was a patron of the Harlem Renaissance and the literary executor of Gertrude Stein.-Biography:...
, Willa Cather
Willa Cather
Willa Seibert Cather was an American author who achieved recognition for her novels of frontier life on the Great Plains, in works such as O Pioneers!, My Ántonia, and The Song of the Lark. In 1923 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours , a novel set during World War I...
, H.L. Mencken, Dashiell Hammett
Dashiell Hammett
Samuel Dashiell Hammett was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories, and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade , Nick and Nora Charles , and the Continental Op .In addition to the significant influence his novels and stories had on...
and Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance...
.
Honors
- Chevalier de la Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, 1949, France - Officier de la Légion d'honneur in 1960, France
- Order of the Southern CrossOrder of the Southern CrossThe National Order of the Southern Cross is a Brazilian order of chivalry founded by Emperor Pedro I on 1 December 1822. This order was intended to commemorate the independence of Brazil and the coronation of Pedro I...
, Brazil
External links
- Jewish Virtual Library profile on Blanche Wolf Knopf
- Alfred A. and Blanche Knopf Library
- Nickolas MurayNickolas MurayNickolas Muray was a Hungarian-born American photographer and Olympic fencer.-Biography:...
portrait of Blanche Knopf in riding habit