Wolf Schwabacher
Encyclopedia
Wolf Schwabacher was a prominent Jewish entertainment lawyer
, a partner
in the New York
law firm
of Hays, Wolf, Schwabacher, Sklar & Epstein, whose clients included the Marx Brothers
, Lillian Hellman
, and Erskine Caldwell
.
He married his loving but mentally unbalanced wife, Ethel Schwabacher
in 1934. She was a protegee of Arshile Gorky
, his first biographer, and herself a well-known abstract impressionist painter
. Brenda Webster, their daughter, is an American writer
. After World War II they lived on the Upper East Side
. Dorothy Parker
was a social acquaintance.
Wolf and Ethel Schwabacher shared a house with the psychoanalyst Muriel Gardiner
and her husband, the Austria
n socialist Joseph Buttinger
, for more than ten years. After Gardiner and Buttinger, fleeing from Europe after the start of World War II
, moved into their house at Brookdale Farm in central New Jersey
in 1940, the house was divided in two, the Gardiner-Buttingers living in one part of the house and the Schwabachers in the other.
The Schwabacher-Gardiner connection came to public attention during the libel suit Hellman brought against Mary McCarthy
.
When Hellman published her memoir, Pentimento (1973), Gardiner spotted the close similarlity between her own anti-Fascist activities in Vienna
in the 1930s and the story Hellman told about a pseudonymous friend called Julia. Gardiner wrote to Hellman asking for an explanation, but Hellman never replied.
Hellman, who never met Gardiner, claimed that her Julia was somebody else. Many people believe otherwise, citing the vanishingly low probability that there were two millionaire American
medical student
s in Vienna in the late 1930s who married the head of a resistance movement and were active in that movement.
It is believed that Hellman learned Gardiner's story from Schwabacher who had visited Gardiner in Vienna in the 1930s and whose garrulous nature made it very likely that he had related the story of Gardiner's activities to his contacts.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, a partner
Partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...
in the 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...
law firm
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
of Hays, Wolf, Schwabacher, Sklar & Epstein, whose clients included the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
, Lillian Hellman
Lillian Hellman
Lillian Florence "Lily" Hellman was an American playwright, linked throughout her life with many left-wing causes...
, and Erskine Caldwell
Erskine Caldwell
Erskine Preston Caldwell was an American author. His writings about poverty, racism and social problems in his native South like the novels Tobacco Road and God's Little Acre won him critical acclaim, but they also made him controversial among fellow Southerners of the time who felt he was...
.
He married his loving but mentally unbalanced wife, Ethel Schwabacher
Ethel Schwabacher
Ethel Kremer Schwabacher was a protege of Arshile Gorky, his first biographer, and herself a well-known abstract expressionist painter. Her daughter is the American writer and translator, Brenda Webster....
in 1934. She was a protegee of Arshile Gorky
Arshile Gorky
Arshile Gorky was an Armenian-born American painter who had a seminal influence on Abstract Expressionism. As such, his works were often speculated to have been informed by the suffering and loss he experienced of the Armenian genocide.-Early life:...
, his first biographer, and herself a well-known abstract impressionist painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
. Brenda Webster, their daughter, is an American 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....
. After World War II they lived on the Upper East Side
Upper East Side
The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side lies within an area bounded by 59th Street to 96th Street, and the East River to Fifth Avenue-Central Park...
. Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker was an American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist, best known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th century urban foibles....
was a social acquaintance.
Wolf and Ethel Schwabacher shared a house with the psychoanalyst Muriel Gardiner
Muriel Gardiner
Muriel Morris Gardiner Buttinger was an American psychoanalyst and psychiatrist.-Early Life and career:...
and her husband, the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n socialist Joseph Buttinger
Joseph Buttinger
Joseph Buttinger was an Austrian politician and, after his immigration to the United States, an expert on East Asia....
, for more than ten years. After Gardiner and Buttinger, fleeing from Europe after the start of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, moved into their house at Brookdale Farm in central New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
in 1940, the house was divided in two, the Gardiner-Buttingers living in one part of the house and the Schwabachers in the other.
The Schwabacher-Gardiner connection came to public attention during the libel suit Hellman brought against Mary McCarthy
Mary McCarthy (author)
Mary Therese McCarthy was an American author, critic and political activist.- Early life :Born in Seattle, Washington, to Roy Winfield McCarthy and his wife, the former Therese Preston, McCarthy was orphaned at the age of six when both her parents died in the great flu epidemic of 1918...
.
When Hellman published her memoir, Pentimento (1973), Gardiner spotted the close similarlity between her own anti-Fascist activities in Vienna
Vienna
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...
in the 1930s and the story Hellman told about a pseudonymous friend called Julia. Gardiner wrote to Hellman asking for an explanation, but Hellman never replied.
Hellman, who never met Gardiner, claimed that her Julia was somebody else. Many people believe otherwise, citing the vanishingly low probability that there were two millionaire American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
medical student
Medical Student
Medical Student may refer to:*Someone studying at medical school*Medical Student Newspaper, a UK publication...
s in Vienna in the late 1930s who married the head of a resistance movement and were active in that movement.
It is believed that Hellman learned Gardiner's story from Schwabacher who had visited Gardiner in Vienna in the 1930s and whose garrulous nature made it very likely that he had related the story of Gardiner's activities to his contacts.
Sources
- McDowell, Edwin; "Publishing: New Memoir Stirs 'Julia' Controversy", New York Times, April 29, 1983. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
- The Last Good Freudian, Brenda Webster, Book - Barnes & Noble. Retrieved 2008-12-07.