Hound & Horn
Encyclopedia
Hound & Horn, originally subtitled "a Harvard
Miscellany", was a literary quarterly founded by Harvard
undergrads Lincoln Kirstein
and Varian Fry
in 1927. At the time, the college's literary magazine The Harvard Advocate
did not accept their work, so they convinced Kirstein's father, the president of Filene's Department Store
in Boston
, to fund the launch of their own literary magazine. Modeled on T. S. Eliot
's The Criterion, it was intended to focus on student life at the university and work submitted by its students and famous literary Harvard
alumni. Later on in its run, the publication broadened in scope to include many modern writers.
The title of the magazine was taken from Ezra Pound
's poem "The White Stag": "Tis the white stag Fame we're hunting, bid the world's hounds come to horn.” Contributions were made by writers such as Gertrude Stein
, Katherine Ann Porter and a young Elizabeth Bishop
. In 1928, R.P. Blackmur became the magazine's first managing editor, staying until 1930 when he resigned. Yvor Winters
served as a regional editor. In 1930, the magazine moved headquarters to New York
. It ceased publication in 1934 when Kirstein decided to fund George Balanchine
and the newly established School of American Ballet
.
It was the first to publish several writers who would later become famous, and to publish articles that would be historically significant, such as "The Reappearance of photography" by Walker Evans
in 1931.
Years after the journal's demise, Ralph de Toledano
approached Kirstein about reviving it. Despite initial interest by Kirstein, the project never came to fruition.
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
Miscellany", was a literary quarterly founded by Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
undergrads Lincoln Kirstein
Lincoln Kirstein
Lincoln Edward Kirstein was an American writer, impresario, art connoisseur, and cultural figure in New York City...
and Varian Fry
Varian Fry
Varian Mackey Fry was an American journalist. Fry ran a rescue network in Vichy France that helped approximately 2,000 to 4,000 anti-Nazi and Jewish refugees to escape Nazi Germany and the Holocaust.-Early life:...
in 1927. At the time, the college's literary magazine The Harvard Advocate
The Harvard Advocate
The Harvard Advocate, the literary magazine of Harvard College, is the oldest continuously published college literary magazine in the United States. The magazine was founded by Charles S. Gage and William G. Peckham in 1866 and, except for a hiatus during the last years of World War II, has...
did not accept their work, so they convinced Kirstein's father, the president of Filene's Department Store
Filene's
Filene's was a Boston-based department store owned by Federated Department Stores , and May Department Stores . It operated throughout New England and in New York.-Early years:...
in 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...
, to fund the launch of their own literary magazine. Modeled on T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
's The Criterion, it was intended to focus on student life at the university and work submitted by its students and famous literary Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
alumni. Later on in its run, the publication broadened in scope to include many modern writers.
The title of the magazine was taken from Ezra Pound
Ezra Pound
Ezra Weston Loomis Pound was an American expatriate poet and critic and a major figure in the early modernist movement in poetry...
's poem "The White Stag": "Tis the white stag Fame we're hunting, bid the world's hounds come to horn.” Contributions were made by writers such as Gertrude Stein
Gertrude Stein
Gertrude Stein was an American writer, poet and art collector who spent most of her life in France.-Early life:...
, Katherine Ann Porter and a young Elizabeth Bishop
Elizabeth Bishop
Elizabeth Bishop was an American poet and short-story writer. She was the Poet Laureate of the United States from 1949 to 1950, a Pulitzer Prize winner in 1956 and a National Book Award Winner for Poetry in 1970. Elizabeth Bishop House is an artists' retreat in Great Village, Nova Scotia...
. In 1928, R.P. Blackmur became the magazine's first managing editor, staying until 1930 when he resigned. Yvor Winters
Yvor Winters
Arthur Yvor Winters was an American poet and literary critic.-As modernist:Winters's early poetry, which appeared in small avant-garde magazines alongside work by writers like James Joyce and Gertrude Stein, was written in the modernist idiom, and was heavily influenced both by Native American...
served as a regional editor. In 1930, the magazine moved headquarters to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. It ceased publication in 1934 when Kirstein decided to fund George Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
and the newly established School of American Ballet
School of American Ballet
The School of American Ballet is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The school trains students from the...
.
It was the first to publish several writers who would later become famous, and to publish articles that would be historically significant, such as "The Reappearance of photography" by Walker Evans
Walker Evans
Walker Evans was an American photographer best known for his work for the Farm Security Administration documenting the effects of the Great Depression. Much of Evans's work from the FSA period uses the large-format, 8x10-inch camera...
in 1931.
Years after the journal's demise, Ralph de Toledano
Ralph de Toledano
Ralph de Toledano was a major figure in the conservative movement in the United States throughout the second half of the 20th century.-Early years:...
approached Kirstein about reviving it. Despite initial interest by Kirstein, the project never came to fruition.