Herbert Kaufman
Encyclopedia
Herbert Kaufman was an American
writer
and newspaper
man whose editorial
s were widely syndicated in both the United States
and Canada
. During World War I
, Kaufman regularly contributed articles and editorials to the Evening Standard
, The Times
, and other leading British
periodicals, along with more than 50 war poems, including the classic The Hell-Gate of Soissons.
of several books, including:
Kaufman is known for his essays on success, war poetry, and "Kaufmanisms." A "Kaufmanism" is the persuasive rhetoric
al juxtaposition of words that reverses the subject
and object
of a phrase often meant to change its context and meaning, typically used to add additional emphasis to both noun
s.
Select Kaufmanisms:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
man whose editorial
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
s were widely syndicated in both the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Kaufman regularly contributed articles and editorials to the Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, and other leading British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
periodicals, along with more than 50 war poems, including the classic The Hell-Gate of Soissons.
His Work
Kaufman is the authorAuthor
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of several books, including:
- The Stolen Throne (c. 1907; co-authored with May Isabel Fisk and illustrated by Howard Chandler Christy and Herman Rountree)
- The Winning Fight (c. 1910) being perhaps his most popular work
- Do Something! Be Something! (c. 1912)
- The Efficient Age (c. 1913)
- The Song of Guns (1914, reissued in 1915 as "The Hell-Gate of Soissons And Other Poems")
- The Clock that Had No Hands (c. 1912; a compilation of essayEssayAn essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
s on the value of advertisingAdvertisingAdvertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
) - Neighbors (c. 1914)
Kaufman is known for his essays on success, war poetry, and "Kaufmanisms." A "Kaufmanism" is the persuasive rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
al juxtaposition of words that reverses the subject
Subject (grammar)
The subject is one of the two main constituents of a clause, according to a tradition that can be tracked back to Aristotle and that is associated with phrase structure grammars; the other constituent is the predicate. According to another tradition, i.e...
and object
Object (grammar)
An object in grammar is part of a sentence, and often part of the predicate. It denotes somebody or something involved in the subject's "performance" of the verb. Basically, it is what or whom the verb is acting upon...
of a phrase often meant to change its context and meaning, typically used to add additional emphasis to both noun
Noun
In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition .Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of...
s.
Select Kaufmanisms:
- A coward can't conquer anything, because he can't conquer himself.
- The man who won't go through to the finish has finished at the start.
- They who fight in the dark do not shine in the light.
- Mind your own business and in time you'll have a business of your own to mind.
Selected Magazine Bibliography
- "The Stainless Banner", Everybody’s Magazine, June 1909.
- "America (pm)" Everybody’s Magazine, January 1910.
- "The Song of the Man", Hampton’s, August 1910.
- "The Living Dead", Everybody’s Magazine, November 1911.
- "Fool’s Gold", Everybody’s Magazine, March 1913.
- "To Wilhelm the Mad", Nash’s Magazine, September 1914.