Lore Segal
Encyclopedia
Lore Segal née Lore Groszmann, is an American novelist, translator, teacher, and author of children’s books.
rescue mission to escape Nazi rule in Austria. While living in a series of foster homes, the ten-year old girl conducted a campaign of such vigorous letter-writing to British authorities that her parents were eventually allowed to join her in England.
Despite the fact that he was a refugee from Nazi persecution, Segal's father was interned in a Scottish camp for Austrian nationals after Britain entered World War II. He died shortly before the war ended. Segal and her mother, who worked as a cook, lived in near poverty in England, but Segal was nonetheless able to attend Bedford College, the women's division of the University of London
, where she received a degree in English literature with honors. In 1951, Segal immigrated to the United States after residing for a short while in the Dominican Republic until the U.S. immigration quota allowed her to enter.
Once Lore was living in New York City, she held a variety of jobs—in a shoe factory, as a receptionist, teaching English – while writing stories that she soon began selling to major magazines.
Lore married David Segal in 1961, with whom she had two children. David Segal died nine years later.
Segal and her mother appeared in the film Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport
, directed by Mark Jonathan Harris
, which won the Academy Award for Documentary Feature
in 2000. Franzi Groszmann was the last survivor of the parents who gave over their children to the Kindertransport
program; she died at age 100 on September 20, 2005 in New York City.
Lore Segal lives in New York City.
and then in The New Yorker
. It won a Clifton Fadiman Medal in 2007.
From 1968 through 1978, Segal taught writing at Columbia University School of the Arts. She later taught at Princeton University
, Bennington College
, Sarah Lawrence College
, the University of Illinois at Chicago
, and Ohio State University
.
For her two children, Segal began to write and translate children’s books, including an award-winning collection of Grimm’s fairy tales with illustrator Maurice Sendak
.
In 1976 she returned to adult fiction with her novella, Lucinella. In 1985 she published Her First American which won an award from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. Actress Pippa Scott
purchased the movie version of Her First American, and, despite Segal’s inexperience with screenwriting, asked Segal to write the script. Segal has sold her option for the movie, and the film remains unmade.
Her most recent book, the 2007 story collection Shakespeare’s Kitchen, was a finalist for the 2008 Pulitzer Prize. Shakespeare's Kitchen revives the character of Ilka Weissnix (meaning "know-nothing") from Her First American, now renamed Ilka Weiss. The New Yorker published seven of the Shakespeare's Kitchen stories in the 1980s and 1990s before they were collected in a book. Segal was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 2006.
In 2009, her novella, Lucinella is being re-released as a part of the Melville House Publishing
's Art of the Novella series.
.
Personal life
Segal was born in Vienna, Austria. Her father was an accountant in a bank, but as a Jew was fired when the Nazis came to power in 1938. Her parents, Ignatz and Franzi Groszmann, sent her to England in 1939 as part of the KindertransportKindertransport
Kindertransport is the name given to the rescue mission that took place nine months prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. The United Kingdom took in nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Nazi Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Free City of Danzig...
rescue mission to escape Nazi rule in Austria. While living in a series of foster homes, the ten-year old girl conducted a campaign of such vigorous letter-writing to British authorities that her parents were eventually allowed to join her in England.
Despite the fact that he was a refugee from Nazi persecution, Segal's father was interned in a Scottish camp for Austrian nationals after Britain entered World War II. He died shortly before the war ended. Segal and her mother, who worked as a cook, lived in near poverty in England, but Segal was nonetheless able to attend Bedford College, the women's division of the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, where she received a degree in English literature with honors. In 1951, Segal immigrated to the United States after residing for a short while in the Dominican Republic until the U.S. immigration quota allowed her to enter.
Once Lore was living in New York City, she held a variety of jobs—in a shoe factory, as a receptionist, teaching English – while writing stories that she soon began selling to major magazines.
Lore married David Segal in 1961, with whom she had two children. David Segal died nine years later.
Segal and her mother appeared in the film Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport
Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport
Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport is a 2000 documentary film directed by Mark Jonathan Harris and narrated by Judi Dench. It tells the story of the kindertransport, an underground railroad that saved the lives of over 10,000 Jewish children...
, directed by Mark Jonathan Harris
Mark Jonathan Harris
Mark Jonathan Harris is an American documentary filmmaker probably best known for his films Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport and The Long Way Home...
, which won the Academy Award for Documentary Feature
Academy Award for Documentary Feature
The Academy Award for Documentary Feature is among the most prestigious awards for documentary films.- Winners and nominees:Following the Academy's practice, films are listed below by the award year...
in 2000. Franzi Groszmann was the last survivor of the parents who gave over their children to the Kindertransport
Kindertransport
Kindertransport is the name given to the rescue mission that took place nine months prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. The United Kingdom took in nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Nazi Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Free City of Danzig...
program; she died at age 100 on September 20, 2005 in New York City.
Lore Segal lives in New York City.
Career
In 1964, to great acclaim, she published Other People's Houses, a novel based on her refugee experience as a child, which had been serialized first in CommentaryCommentary
Commentary may refer to:*Play-by-play commentary, describing sporting events on TV or radio**colour commentary, supplementing play-by-play commentary with talk not directly about play*Commentary or narration, the words in a documentary film...
and then in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
. It won a Clifton Fadiman Medal in 2007.
From 1968 through 1978, Segal taught writing at Columbia University School of the Arts. She later taught at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Bennington College
Bennington College
Bennington College is a liberal arts college located in Bennington, Vermont, USA. The college was founded in 1932 as a women's college and became co-educational in 1969.-History:-Early years:...
, Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States, and a leader in progressive education since its founding in 1926. Located just 30 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, this coeducational college offers...
, the University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois at Chicago, or UIC, is a state-funded public research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, near the Chicago Loop...
, and Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
.
For her two children, Segal began to write and translate children’s books, including an award-winning collection of Grimm’s fairy tales with illustrator Maurice Sendak
Maurice Sendak
Maurice Bernard Sendak is an American writer and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963.-Early life:...
.
In 1976 she returned to adult fiction with her novella, Lucinella. In 1985 she published Her First American which won an award from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. Actress Pippa Scott
Pippa Scott
Pippa Scott is an American actress who has appeared in movies and television since the 1950s. She was also married to a founding partner of Lorimar Productions, Lee Rich...
purchased the movie version of Her First American, and, despite Segal’s inexperience with screenwriting, asked Segal to write the script. Segal has sold her option for the movie, and the film remains unmade.
Her most recent book, the 2007 story collection Shakespeare’s Kitchen, was a finalist for the 2008 Pulitzer Prize. Shakespeare's Kitchen revives the character of Ilka Weissnix (meaning "know-nothing") from Her First American, now renamed Ilka Weiss. The New Yorker published seven of the Shakespeare's Kitchen stories in the 1980s and 1990s before they were collected in a book. Segal was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 2006.
In 2009, her novella, Lucinella is being re-released as a part of the Melville House Publishing
Melville House Publishing
Melville House Publishing is an independent publisher of literary fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. The company was founded in 2001 by the husband and wife team of Dennis Loy Johnson and Valerie Merians in Hoboken, New Jersey, a location Johnson jokingly called "the Left Bank" of New York City...
's Art of the Novella series.
Children's books
Segal’s children’s books include Tell Me a Mitzi, Tell Me a Trudy, All the Way Home, The Story of Old Mrs. Brubeck and How She Looked for Trouble and Where She Found Him, The Story of Mrs. Lovewright and Purrless Her Cat, Morris the Artist, and Why Mole Shouted and Other Stories. Segal is also the translator of The Juniper Tree and Other Tales from Grimm with illustrations by Maurice SendakMaurice Sendak
Maurice Bernard Sendak is an American writer and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963.-Early life:...
.