Who was Edna St. Vincent Millay? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Nancy Boyd

Died At Age: 58

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Eugen Jan Boissevain

father: Henry Tollman Millay

mother: Cora Lounella Buzzelle

siblings: Kathleen, Norma

Poets Playwrights

Died on: October 19, 1950

place of death: Austerlitz, New York, United States

U.S. State: Maine

: Coronary Occlusion.

Cause of Death: Heart Attack

More Facts

education: Vassar College

awards: 1923 - Pulitzer Prize for Poetry

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1

What are some famous works by Edna St. Vincent Millay?

Some of Edna St. Vincent Millay's famous works include "Renascence," "A Few Figs from Thistles," "Second April," and "The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver."
2

What influenced Edna St. Vincent Millay's poetry?

Edna St. Vincent Millay's poetry was influenced by her personal experiences, love affairs, feminist views, and the influences of the early 20th-century modernist movement.
3

What was Edna St. Vincent Millay's writing style?

Edna St. Vincent Millay's writing style was characterized by its lyrical quality, emotional intensity, and use of traditional forms such as sonnets and ballads.
4

What was the significance of Edna St. Vincent Millay's poem

Edna St. Vincent Millay's poem "First Fig" is significant for its exploration of themes such as individuality, passion, and the fleeting nature of life, which resonated with many readers and critics.

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Childhood & Early Life

Edna was born in Rockland, Maine, to Henry Tollman Millay, a schoolteacher, and Cora Lounella, a nurse. She had two siblings, both sisters, named Norma and Kathleen.

After her parents’ divorce in 1904, she started living with her mother and two sisters,

While attending Camden High School, she used to write for the school’s literary magazine ‘The Megunticook’. At 14, she bagged the St. Nicholas Gold Badge for poetry.

By the time she was 15, her poetry had been published in the popular children’s magazine ‘St. Nicholas, the Camden Herald’ and the renowned anthology ‘Current Literature’.

In 1912, she submitted her poem ‘Renascence’ in a poetry competition This praiseworthy poem secured fourth position in that contest. With the help of an education officer of Young Women’s Christian Association, she got a scholarship so that she can attend Vassar College.

For one semester, she studied preparatory courses at Barnard College. In 1913, she took admission at Vassar College where she studied literature and languages.

At the college, she used to write poetry and plays for the college’s magazine ‘Vassar Miscellany’. She even acted in her play ‘The Princess Marries the Page’. She completed her graduation in 1917. In the same year, she published ‘Renascence and Other Poems’.

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Career

After completing her education, she shifted to New York City where she lived in Greenwich Village, surviving on meagre money. Here she acted with the Provincetown Players.

While living in New York, she earned her livelihood by publishing several short stories and poems in ‘Ainslee’s’ magazine under the pseudonym Nancy Boyd. She also acted in socialist Floyd Dell’s play ‘The Angel Intrudes’.

In 1919, she wrote a one-act anti-war verse play ‘Aria da Capo’ which she directed for the Provincetown Players.

In 1920, she published ‘A Few Pigs From Thistles’. This controversial work of Edna deals with the issues of female sexuality and feminism. In the same year she started writing poems for ‘Vanity Fair’, a magazine.

From 1920 to 1923, she spent her time in Europe. There she used to send satirical sketches to ‘Vanity Fair’ under the pseudonym Nancy Boyd.

She met sculptor Thelma Wood when she went to Paris in January 1921. In the same year, she published two plays and a collection of poetry titled ‘Second April’. This poetry consisted of elegies written in memory of one of her friend who died of influenza in 1918.

In 1923, she published ‘The Harp-Weaver and Other Poems’.

In 1925, she wrote the script for an opera titled ‘The King’s Henchman’. The script was published and went through four editions; this earned her a decent amount of money.

In 1927, she was actively involved in the Sacco-Vanzetti case by joining in a protest for which police arrested her. Her arrest made her to write and publish ‘Justice Denied in Massachusetts’, a poem that appeared in “New York Times”.

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Female Playwrights

American Playwrights

Major Works

‘The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver’ published in 1923 is one of her most famous works. The poem depicts a poor woman who cannot provide basic necessities to her little son. This poetry shows the mother weaving clothes for her son while playing her harp.

Published in 1939, her poetry ‘Huntsman, What Quarry?’ reflects her protest against the brutalities carried out by Fascist Spain, Nazi Germany and imperialistic Japan.

Awards & Achievements

She received the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in 1923, for her poem titled ‘The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver’. The poem is about a mother’s love towards her son.

For her lifetime contribution to American Poetry, she was awarded the Frost Medal. She was the second woman to receive this honour.

Personal Life & Legacy

Being a bisexual, she developed several relationships with women like Edith Wynne Matthison, an actress in silent films. At that time, she was attending school.

In later period of her life, she had close relationships with writers like Witter Bynner, Arthur Davison Ficke and Susan Glaspell. Author Floyd Dell and Critic Edmund Wilson proposed marriage to her. But she rejected both of them.

While studying at Vassar College, she met Eugen Jan Boissevain whom she married in 1923. Boissevain was a feminist and besides taking care of domestic responsibilities, he also supported her career. They had no children.

Her husband died of lung cancer in 1949. After his death, Edna became dependent on alcohol.

She passed away at the age of 58 after suffering a heart attack.

Facts About Edna St. Vincent Millay

Vincent Millay was known for her unconventional lifestyle and unapologetic independence, often pushing the boundaries of societal norms for women in the early 20th century.

She was the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1923, solidifying her place as a groundbreaking and talented poet.

Millay's poetry often explored themes of love, desire, and feminism, resonating with readers for its raw emotion and vivid imagery.

She was a prominent figure in the Greenwich Village literary scene, mingling with other renowned writers and artists of her time.

Edna St. Vincent Millay Biography

You wanted to know

What are some famous works by Edna St. Vincent Millay?

What influenced Edna St. Vincent Millay's poetry?

What was Edna St. Vincent Millay's writing style?

What was the significance of Edna St. Vincent Millay's poem