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JO SINCLAIR: TOWARD A CRITICAL BIOGRAPHY
Abstract
In 1946, "Jo Sinclair" (Ruth Seid), a young Cleveland writer from the ghettoes, won the $10,000 Harper Prize for her first novel Wasteland. Richard Wright immediately acclaimed it for providing the Jewish voice that he had been seeking in literature. Today it is acclaimed for being a landmark in literature because it portrayed a strong and well-adjusted lesbian. To reclaim human waste is Jo Sinclair's literary credo. She has published four novels, all of which are variations on the theme of spiritual deghettoization: Wasteland (1946), Sing at My Wake (1951), The Changelings (1955), and Anna Teller (1960). Sinclair has also published many short stories and produced a play, The Long Moment (1950), about passing. This critical biography, based upon the manuscripts available at Boston University Special Collections, traces the evolution of Jo Sinclair. The first chapter looks at the author's family life and early stories, especially from her years on the WPA and with the Red Cross. The second chapter presents Wasteland as a pioneer work because it explores the successful psychotherapy of a self-loathing Jew who has been prompted to seek treatment by his sister who learned with professional help to accept her lesbianism. The third chapter is a feminist analysis of Sing at My Wake, a novel about a single mother. The fourth chapter offers an overview of The Changelings, which took the longest to write and underwent the most changes of all of Jo Sinclair's works. The fifth chapter refutes the claim that Anna Teller is primarily an example of immigrant literature. The last major chapter discusses Jo Sinclair's unpublished works since 1960: a novel, a play, and an autobiography. All of her books are currently out of print. However, a new generation of readers will be able to enjoy Jo Sinclair with the 1985 reissue of The Changelings by the Feminist Press.
Subject Area
American literature|Biographies
Recommended Citation
SANDBERG, ELISABETH, "JO SINCLAIR: TOWARD A CRITICAL BIOGRAPHY" (1985). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI8602687.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI8602687