Gertrude Bloede
Encyclopedia
Gertrude Bloede was a United States
poet
. She used the pen name “Stuart Sterne” for her publications.
fled from Germany after the revolution
of 1848. The family arrived in the United States
in 1850, where her mother, Marie Bloede
, was noted for her poetry
and prose, and her father, Gustavus Bloede, edited
the New-Yorker Demokrat, a Republican
newspaper. Her parents were good
friends of Bayard Taylor
, at whose home they
met Stedman
, Stoddard
, Aldrich and other well-known
poets and authors of the United States.
Bloede was privately educated.
Beginning in 1861, she made her home in
Brooklyn, living with her sister, the wife
of S. T. King, at 34 Greene Ave.
Bloede's brief self-assessment of her work
and personality was: “There is very little to tell. I have
published five volumes of poems, and that is all.
I live very quietly. I go into society but little, and
I do not belong to anything.” Bloede
professed to find in the city the seclusion which pastoral
poets find in rural life.
Although she
went into society but little, she numbered among her
friends prominent literary people of New
York. She was not a member of any of the women's
organizations in Brooklyn, as she felt that the art work
of societies from which men were excluded
amounted to little. She was interested in art, music and languages.
She spoke English, French and German with fluency, and
read Dutch, Italian and Latin with ease.
Her first book was a small volume of short poems, published in 1875. It was
favorably reviewed in The New York Times
.
After much inquiry, Bloede learned
that the review was written by Richard Grant White
,
who was greatly impressed by the quality of her
work. That was her first critical recognition.
She used the name “Stuart Sterne” for all her works, and even
after that name had become widely known, very few
readers were aware that its owner was a woman.
She adopted the name because she felt men's work was
considered stronger than women's, and she wished her
work to be judged by the highest standards and to
stand or fall on its own merits.
In 1878, she published Angelo, which she dedicated
to White. He read the manuscript, and, on his representations,
a prominent Boston
house published it. Its success
was instantaneous. It went through sixteen printings.
She also published Giorgio (Boston, 1881), a long poem;
Beyond the Shadows and Other Poems (Boston, 1888);
and Piero da Castiglione (Boston, 1890), a story
in verse of the time of Savonarola.
She also produced a novel, The Story of Two Lives
(New York, 1892).
Her biographer for
American National Biography
, Ann Perkins, thought that,
although she was popular in her day, none of Bloede's
work has aged very well.
Her biography in American Women portrayed her as an artist in human
passions, not in mere word and scene painting.
That biography thought she had a dramatic touch, and
that that quality illumined
all her work, though none of her productions
were cast in dramatic form.
, was a noted chemist.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
. She used the pen name “Stuart Sterne” for her publications.
Biography
Her father and mother were refugees whofled from Germany after the revolution
of 1848. The family arrived in the United States
in 1850, where her mother, Marie Bloede
Marie Bloede
Marie Bloede was a American author of German decent, who also published under the pseudonym Marie Westland.-Biography:...
, was noted for her poetry
and prose, and her father, Gustavus Bloede, edited
the New-Yorker Demokrat, a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
newspaper. Her parents were good
friends of Bayard Taylor
Bayard Taylor
Bayard Taylor was an American poet, literary critic, translator, and travel author.-Life and work:...
, at whose home they
met Stedman
Edmund Clarence Stedman
Edmund Clarence Stedman , American poet, critic, and essayist was born at Hartford, Connecticut, United States.-Biography:...
, Stoddard
Richard Henry Stoddard
Richard Henry Stoddard was an American critic and poet.-Biography:Richard Henry Stoddard was born on July 2, 1825, in Hingham, Massachusetts. His father, a sea-captain, was wrecked and lost on one of his voyages while Richard was a child, and the lad went in 1835 to New York City with his mother,...
, Aldrich and other well-known
poets and authors of the United States.
Bloede was privately educated.
Beginning in 1861, she made her home in
Brooklyn, living with her sister, the wife
of S. T. King, at 34 Greene Ave.
Bloede's brief self-assessment of her work
and personality was: “There is very little to tell. I have
published five volumes of poems, and that is all.
I live very quietly. I go into society but little, and
I do not belong to anything.” Bloede
professed to find in the city the seclusion which pastoral
poets find in rural life.
Although she
went into society but little, she numbered among her
friends prominent literary people of New
York. She was not a member of any of the women's
organizations in Brooklyn, as she felt that the art work
of societies from which men were excluded
amounted to little. She was interested in art, music and languages.
She spoke English, French and German with fluency, and
read Dutch, Italian and Latin with ease.
Work
Bloede's childhood surroundings and talents impelled her to write.Her first book was a small volume of short poems, published in 1875. It was
favorably reviewed in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
.
After much inquiry, Bloede learned
that the review was written by Richard Grant White
Richard Grant White
Richard Grant White was one of the foremost literary and musical critics of his day. He was also a prominent Shakespearen scholar, journalist, social critic, and lawyer who was born and died in New York USA.-Biography:...
,
who was greatly impressed by the quality of her
work. That was her first critical recognition.
She used the name “Stuart Sterne” for all her works, and even
after that name had become widely known, very few
readers were aware that its owner was a woman.
She adopted the name because she felt men's work was
considered stronger than women's, and she wished her
work to be judged by the highest standards and to
stand or fall on its own merits.
In 1878, she published Angelo, which she dedicated
to White. He read the manuscript, and, on his representations,
a prominent Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
house published it. Its success
was instantaneous. It went through sixteen printings.
She also published Giorgio (Boston, 1881), a long poem;
Beyond the Shadows and Other Poems (Boston, 1888);
and Piero da Castiglione (Boston, 1890), a story
in verse of the time of Savonarola.
She also produced a novel, The Story of Two Lives
(New York, 1892).
Her biographer for
American National Biography
American National Biography
The American National Biography is a 24 volume biographical encyclopedia set containing approximately 17,400 entries and 20 million words, first published in 1999 by Oxford University Press under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies. A 400-entry supplement appeared in 2002...
, Ann Perkins, thought that,
although she was popular in her day, none of Bloede's
work has aged very well.
Her biography in American Women portrayed her as an artist in human
passions, not in mere word and scene painting.
That biography thought she had a dramatic touch, and
that that quality illumined
all her work, though none of her productions
were cast in dramatic form.
Family
Her brother, Victor Gustav BloedeVictor Gustav Bloede (chemist)
Victor Gustav Bloede , was a chemist and manufacturer of chemicals, president of the Victor G. Bloede Company, and businessman.-Early life and education:...
, was a noted chemist.