Margaret Larkin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Margaret Larkin (July 7, 1899 - May 10, 1967) was an American writer, poet, singer-songwriter, theater personality, researcher and union activist. She left a lasting legacy with three of her books: The Hand of Mordechai on a kibbutz in Israel, Seven shares in a Gold mine on a murder conspiracy in Mexico, and the Singing Cowboy, a collection of Western folk songs.

Larkin was born on July 7, 1899 in Las Vegas, New Mexico. She studied at the University of Kansas.^[1] In 1923 she won the poetry prize of Kansas Author Club.^[1] After moving to the East Coast, she married and became a trade union activist with her first husband.^[1] In the thirties she was active as a singer/songwriter and composer of folk songs.^[1] After divorcing she met writer Albert Maltz, whom she married in 1937.^[1] In 1951 Larkin and her husband moved to Mexico City, after being blacklisted due Maltz's refusal to tell the House committee whether they were members of the American Communist Party.^[1]

In Mexico, Larkin assisted the anthropologist Oscar Lewis in the research and writing of La Vida - A Puerto Rican Family In The Culture Of Poverty.^[1] Her last book was The Hand of Mordechai, on kibbutz Yad Mordechai around the Israeli War of Independence. It was published in Hebrew (1966), Yiddish (1967) and English (1968). Larkin was represented by literary agent Barthold Fles.^[1] She died in Mexico City on May 10, 1967, and was buried in the city.^[1]

Contents 1 Bibliography 1.1 Books 1.2 Articles 2 References

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Books

• 1926 - El Cristo, a drama in one act
• 1931 - Singing cowboy, a book of western songs^[2]
• 1958 - Seven shares in a gold mine
• 1966 - The hand of Mordechai

[edit] Articles

• 1929, Oct 9 - "Ella May's Songs." The Nation 129 (3353): 382-383.
• 1934, Sep 5 - "Beale Street: Where the Blues Began (Book review)". The Nation 139 (3609): 279.

[edit] References