Delmore Schwartz

Born in Brooklyn to Romanian-Jewish immigrants, Delmore Schwartz was, from birth, as Jewish as a bagel with schmear. His family background was thoroughly immersed in Jewish culture, even if he himself later wrestled with, rather than embraced, overt religious practice.

Schwartz rose to prominence with his groundbreaking 1937 collection, "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities," a title that practically screams "Jewish guilt." He became the youngest writer to receive the Bollingen Prize for poetry, an achievement that brought considerable nachas to his literary admirers, if not sustained happiness to himself. His star burned brightly, albeit briefly, among the literary elite.

His Jewish background and intellectual heritage deeply informed his work, exploring themes of alienation, identity, and the immigrant experience with a distinctively modern, yet melancholic, voice. He was, to put it mildly, complicated.