Louis Adamic[notes 1] (Slovene: Alojzij Adamič; March 23, 1898[notes 2] – September 4, 1951) was a Slovene-American author and translator, mostly known for writing about and advocating for ethnic diversity of the United States.[5]
Louis Adamic was born at Praproče Mansion in Praproče pri Grosupljem in the region of Lower Carniola, in what is now Slovenia (then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire). He was baptized Alojzij Adamič.[6] The oldest son of the peasants Anton and Ana Adamič,[7] he was given a limited childhood education at the city school and, in 1909, entered the primary school at Ljubljana. Early in his third year he joined a secret students' political club associated with the Yugoslav Nationalistic Movement that had recently sprung up in the South-Slavic provinces of Austria-Hungary.
Swept up in a bloody demonstration in November 1913, Adamic was briefly jailed, expelled from school, and barred from any government educational institution. He was admitted to the Jesuit school in Ljubljana, but was unable to bring himself to go. "No more school for me. I was going to America," Adamic wrote. "I did not know how, but I knew that I would go."[8]
On December 31, 1913, at the age of 15, Adamic emigrated to the United States. [9]
Adamic first worked as a manual laborer and later at a Yugoslavian daily newspaper, Narodni Glas ("The Voice of the Nation"), that was published in New York. As an American soldier he participated in combat on the Western front during the First World War.[citation needed] After the war he worked as a journalist and professional writer.
All of Adamic's writings are based on his labor experiences in America and his former life in Slovenia. He achieved national acclaim in America in 1934 with his book The Native's Return, which was a bestseller directed against King Alexander's regime in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. This book gave many Americans their first real knowledge of the Balkans. It contained many insights, but proved far from infallible: Adamic predicted that America would prosper by eventually "going left", i.e. turning socialist.
From 1940 onwards he served as editor of the magazine Common Ground. Adamic was the author of Dynamite: The Story of Class Violence in America (1931); Laughing in the Jungle: The Autobiography of an Immigrant in America (1932); The Native's Return: An American Immigrant Visits Yugoslavia and Discovers His Old Country (1934); Grandsons: A Story of American Lives (1935, novel); Cradle of Life: The Story of One Man's Beginnings (1936, novel); The House in Antigua (1937, travel); My America (1938); From Many Lands (1940); Two-Way Passage (1941); What's Your Name? (1942); My Native Land (1943); Nation of Nations (1945); and The Eagle and the Root (1950). Maxim Lieber was his literary agent, 1930–1931 and in 1946. In 1941, Adamic won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for From Many Lands.[11]
Adamic was strongly opposed to the foreign policy followed by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and in 1946 wrote Dinner at the White House, which purported to be an account of a dinner party given by President Franklin D. Roosevelt at which Adamic and Churchill had both been present. After the proofs had been passed by publishers Harper and Brothers, an additional footnote was inserted in pages 151 and 152 which claimed that Churchill had opposed the National Liberation Front in Greece because they intended to scale down the rate of interest Greece was paying to Hambros Bank. The footnote further claimed that Hambros had "bailed Winston Churchill out of bankruptcy in 1912". The footnote appeared in the book when it was published, and a copy was circulated to every British Member of Parliament; when Churchill was alerted, he instructed his solicitors to issue a writ for libel. Harper and Brothers admitted the statement was untrue and Adamic also withdrew the claim and apologised; a substantial sum of damages was paid,[12] reported by the Daily Express as £5,000.[13] As of 2011[update] the copy of Dinner at the White House in the British Library is held in the Suppressed Safe collection, inaccessible to readers.[14]
His support for the Tito regime led to him being targeted[how?] by Nevada Senator Pat McCarran, who between May and September 1949, chaired a subcommittee to expose Soviet sympathizers among ethnic communities.[15]
Death
In his late years he was plagued by failing health. In 1951, he was found shot in his home in Milford, New Jersey, with his house burning and with a rifle in his hand[citation needed]. It was supposed[by whom?] to be suicide.[citation needed] Prior to that, he was often threatened by strangers, and once he was even severely beaten[citation needed], which led to his relocation[where?]. It was a time of McCarthyism, witch-hunting, and state terror, in which there was no room for free-thinking social criticism.[third-party source needed]
Legacy
According to John McAleer's Edgar Award-winning Rex Stout: A Biography (1977), it was the influence of Adamic that led Rex Stout to make his fictional detective Nero Wolfe a native of Montenegro, in what was then Yugoslavia.[16] Stout and Adamic were friends and frequent political allies, and Stout expressed uncertainty to McAleer about the circumstances of Adamic's death. In any case, the demise seems to have inspired Stout's 1954 novel The Black Mountain, in which Nero Wolfe returns to his homeland to hunt down the killers of an old friend.
Liberation. Death to Fascism! Liberty to the People! Picture Story of the Yugoslav People's Epic Struggle against the Enemy—To Win Unity and a Decent Future, 1941–1945 (1945)
^Adamic told The Literary Digest: "My name is pronounced in this country (America) exactly as the word Adamic, pertaining to Adam: a-dam′-ik."[1][2] His original surname was Adamič, pronounced in Slovenian a-DAH-mich.
^The year 1899 is often cited and is also written on Adamic's tombstone, but is incorrect. It was written in Adamič's certificate of origin by the mayor in Grosuplje in 1913, in order to enable Adamic to leave Austro-Hungarian Empire, which did not allow 15-year-old boys to leave the country, because they were to enter the army.[3] The correct year is written in the register of births of the Parish of Žalna.[4]
References
^Nutall, Dorothy (August 16, 1936). "The Librarian's Corner". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, PA. p. 32. Retrieved October 26, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^Funk, C. E. (1936) What's the Name, Please?: A guide to the correct pronunciation of current prominent names, Funk & Wagnalls Company, Digitized February 12, 2010
^"Unknown". Slavistična revija. Slavistično društvo v Ljubljani, Inštitut za slovenski jezik, Inštitut za literaturo, 1982. 30: 352. 1982.
^Adamič, France (1983). Spomini in pričevanja o življenju in delu Louisa Adamiča [Memories and Testimonies about the Life and Work of Louis Adamic] (in Slovenian). Ljubljana: Prešernova družba [Prešeren's Society]. p. 19. COBISS 14064129.
^Shiffman, D. (2003) Rooting Multiculturalism: The Work of Louis Adamic, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, ISBN9780838640029
^Taufbuch. Žalna. 1846–1900. p. 219. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
^Granatir Alexander, June (2000). "Adamic, Louis". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1600006. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
^Adamic, Louis. Laughing in the Jungle: The Autobiography of an Immigrant in America. New York and London: Harper & Brothers, 1932. Reprinted by Arno Press and The New York Times, 1969; pp. 10–35.
^In his author's note to his autobiography, Laughing in the Jungle (1932), Adamic describes himself as being "a boy of fourteen and a half" in 1913, when he left his native country for America (p. ix). "Late in the afternoon of the last day of 1913 I was examined for entry into the United States, with about a hundred other immigrants who had come on the Niagara (p. 43).
^"Libel on Churchill – damages £5,000", Daily Express, January 16, 1947, p. 3.
^"The SS Suppressed Safe Collection of the British Library". Scissors & Paste Bibliographies. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
^John P. Enyeart, "Revolutionizing Cultural Pluralism: The Political Odyssey of Louis Adamic, 1932-1951", Journal of American Ethnic History, 34:3, (Spring 2015), pp. 58-90
^For more information see the origins section of the article on Nero Wolfe.
^Adamic, Louis (October 1932). "Home Again From America". Harper's Magazine. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Louis Adamič.
Louis Adamic Primary School, named after Louis Adamic, in Grosuplje, Slovenia
January 07, 2023
louis, adamic, notes, slovene, alojzij, adamič, march, 1898, notes, september, 1951, slovene, american, author, translator, mostly, known, writing, about, advocating, ethnic, diversity, united, states, bornalojzij, adamič, 1898, march, 1898praproče, grosupljem. Louis Adamic notes 1 Slovene Alojzij Adamic March 23 1898 notes 2 September 4 1951 was a Slovene American author and translator mostly known for writing about and advocating for ethnic diversity of the United States 5 Louis AdamicBornAlojzij Adamic 1898 03 23 March 23 1898Praproce pri Grosupljem Austro Hungarian Empire present day Slovenia DiedSeptember 4 1951 1951 09 04 aged 53 Milford New Jersey United StatesNationalityYugoslavOccupation s Author translatorAwardsAnisfield Wolf Book Award for From Many Lands Contents 1 Background 2 Career 3 Death 4 Legacy 5 Writings 6 Notes 7 References 8 External linksBackground Edit Praproce Manor birthplace of Louis Adamic Louis Adamic was born at Praproce Mansion in Praproce pri Grosupljem in the region of Lower Carniola in what is now Slovenia then part of the Austro Hungarian Empire He was baptized Alojzij Adamic 6 The oldest son of the peasants Anton and Ana Adamic 7 he was given a limited childhood education at the city school and in 1909 entered the primary school at Ljubljana Early in his third year he joined a secret students political club associated with the Yugoslav Nationalistic Movement that had recently sprung up in the South Slavic provinces of Austria Hungary Swept up in a bloody demonstration in November 1913 Adamic was briefly jailed expelled from school and barred from any government educational institution He was admitted to the Jesuit school in Ljubljana but was unable to bring himself to go No more school for me I was going to America Adamic wrote I did not know how but I knew that I would go 8 On December 31 1913 at the age of 15 Adamic emigrated to the United States 9 He finally settled in a heavily ethnic Croatian fishing community of San Pedro California He became a naturalized United States citizen in 1918 as Louis Adamic 10 Career EditAdamic first worked as a manual laborer and later at a Yugoslavian daily newspaper Narodni Glas The Voice of the Nation that was published in New York As an American soldier he participated in combat on the Western front during the First World War citation needed After the war he worked as a journalist and professional writer All of Adamic s writings are based on his labor experiences in America and his former life in Slovenia He achieved national acclaim in America in 1934 with his book The Native s Return which was a bestseller directed against King Alexander s regime in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia This book gave many Americans their first real knowledge of the Balkans It contained many insights but proved far from infallible Adamic predicted that America would prosper by eventually going left i e turning socialist He received the Guggenheim Fellowship award in 1932 During the Second World War he had supported the Yugoslav National liberation struggle and the establishment of a socialist Yugoslav federation He founded the United Committee of South Slavic Americans in support of Marshal Tito From 1949 he was a corresponding member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts From 1940 onwards he served as editor of the magazine Common Ground Adamic was the author of Dynamite The Story of Class Violence in America 1931 Laughing in the Jungle The Autobiography of an Immigrant in America 1932 The Native s Return An American Immigrant Visits Yugoslavia and Discovers His Old Country 1934 Grandsons A Story of American Lives 1935 novel Cradle of Life The Story of One Man s Beginnings 1936 novel The House in Antigua 1937 travel My America 1938 From Many Lands 1940 Two Way Passage 1941 What s Your Name 1942 My Native Land 1943 Nation of Nations 1945 and The Eagle and the Root 1950 Maxim Lieber was his literary agent 1930 1931 and in 1946 In 1941 Adamic won the Anisfield Wolf Book Award for From Many Lands 11 Adamic was strongly opposed to the foreign policy followed by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and in 1946 wrote Dinner at the White House which purported to be an account of a dinner party given by President Franklin D Roosevelt at which Adamic and Churchill had both been present After the proofs had been passed by publishers Harper and Brothers an additional footnote was inserted in pages 151 and 152 which claimed that Churchill had opposed the National Liberation Front in Greece because they intended to scale down the rate of interest Greece was paying to Hambros Bank The footnote further claimed that Hambros had bailed Winston Churchill out of bankruptcy in 1912 The footnote appeared in the book when it was published and a copy was circulated to every British Member of Parliament when Churchill was alerted he instructed his solicitors to issue a writ for libel Harper and Brothers admitted the statement was untrue and Adamic also withdrew the claim and apologised a substantial sum of damages was paid 12 reported by the Daily Express as 5 000 13 As of 2011 update the copy of Dinner at the White House in the British Library is held in the Suppressed Safe collection inaccessible to readers 14 His support for the Tito regime led to him being targeted how by Nevada Senator Pat McCarran who between May and September 1949 chaired a subcommittee to expose Soviet sympathizers among ethnic communities 15 Death EditIn his late years he was plagued by failing health In 1951 he was found shot in his home in Milford New Jersey with his house burning and with a rifle in his hand citation needed It was supposed by whom to be suicide citation needed Prior to that he was often threatened by strangers and once he was even severely beaten citation needed which led to his relocation where It was a time of McCarthyism witch hunting and state terror in which there was no room for free thinking social criticism third party source needed Legacy EditAccording to John McAleer s Edgar Award winning Rex Stout A Biography 1977 it was the influence of Adamic that led Rex Stout to make his fictional detective Nero Wolfe a native of Montenegro in what was then Yugoslavia 16 Stout and Adamic were friends and frequent political allies and Stout expressed uncertainty to McAleer about the circumstances of Adamic s death In any case the demise seems to have inspired Stout s 1954 novel The Black Mountain in which Nero Wolfe returns to his homeland to hunt down the killers of an old friend Writings Edit Louis Adamic in 1930 lecture poster Articles in Harper s Magazine Racketeers and Organized Labor 1930 Sabotage 1930 Tragic Towns of New England 1931 The Land of Promise 1931 The Collapse of Organized Labor 1931 Wedding in Carniola 1932 Home Again from America 1932 17 Death in Carniola 1933 Thirty Million New Americans 1934 Education on a Mountain 1936 Aliens and Alien Baiters 1936 The Millvale Apparition 1938 Death in Front of the Church 1943 Books Translator Yugoslav Proverbs 1923 Yerney s Justice by Ivan Cankar 1926 Struggle by anonymous Yugoslav informants 1934 Yugoslavia and Italy by Josip Broz Tito 1944 Liberation Death to Fascism Liberty to the People Picture Story of the Yugoslav People s Epic Struggle against the Enemy To Win Unity and a Decent Future 1941 1945 1945 Adamic wrote a biography of Robinson Jeffers here in 1937 photographed by Carl Van Vechten via Library of Congress Author Truth about Los Angeles 1927 Word of Satan in the Bible Christians Rightly Regard Ecclesiastes Suspiciously 1928 Robinson Jeffers A Portrait 1929 1970 1977 1983 Dynamite The Story of Class Violence in America 1931 1960 1976 1983 1984 2008 ISBN 978 1 904 85974 1 1904859747 Boj 1969 Laughing in the Jungle The Autobiography of an Immigrant in America 1932 1969 ISBN 978 0 405 00503 9 Smeh v dzungli Avtobiografija ameriskega priseljenca slovenian transl Stanko Leben 1933 COBISS 383817 slovenian transl Rapa Suklje COBISS 176926 Smijeh u dzungli autobiografija jednog americkog useljenika 1932 The Native s Return an American Immigrant Visits Yugoslavia and Discovers His Old Country 1934 1943 1975 ISBN 0282571906 978 0282571900 Vrnitev v rodni kraj 1962 COBISS 3367681 Grandsons A Story of American Lives 1935 1983 Lucas King of the Balucas 1935 Cradle of Life The Story of One Man s Beginnings 1936 House in Antigua A Restoration 1937 My America 1928 1938 1938 1976 ISBN 0781280028 978 0781280020 America and the Refugees 1939 1940 From Many Lands 1940 Plymouth Rock and Ellis Island Summary of a Lecture 1940 Two Way Passage 1941 Inside Yugoslavia 1942 What s Your Name 1942 Foreign Born Americans and the War with George F Addes 1943 My Native Land 1943 ISBN 9781789127867 Nation of Nations 1945 Dinner at the White House 1946 ISBN 1296826864 978 1296826864 The Eagle and the Roots 1952 1970 ISBN 0837138094Notes Edit Adamic told The Literary Digest My name is pronounced in this country America exactly as the word Adamic pertaining to Adam a dam ik 1 2 His original surname was Adamic pronounced in Slovenian a DAH mich The year 1899 is often cited and is also written on Adamic s tombstone but is incorrect It was written in Adamic s certificate of origin by the mayor in Grosuplje in 1913 in order to enable Adamic to leave Austro Hungarian Empire which did not allow 15 year old boys to leave the country because they were to enter the army 3 The correct year is written in the register of births of the Parish of Zalna 4 References Edit Nutall Dorothy August 16 1936 The Librarian s Corner The Pittsburgh Press Pittsburgh PA p 32 Retrieved October 26 2021 via Newspapers com Funk C E 1936 What s the Name Please A guide to the correct pronunciation of current prominent names Funk amp Wagnalls Company Digitized February 12 2010 Unknown Slavisticna revija Slavisticno drustvo v Ljubljani Institut za slovenski jezik Institut za literaturo 1982 30 352 1982 Adamic France 1983 Spomini in pricevanja o zivljenju in delu Louisa Adamica Memories and Testimonies about the Life and Work of Louis Adamic in Slovenian Ljubljana Presernova druzba Preseren s Society p 19 COBISS 14064129 Shiffman D 2003 Rooting Multiculturalism The Work of Louis Adamic Fairleigh Dickinson University Press ISBN 9780838640029 Taufbuch Zalna 1846 1900 p 219 Retrieved November 26 2022 Granatir Alexander June 2000 Adamic Louis American National Biography Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 anb 9780198606697 article 1600006 Retrieved August 22 2022 Adamic Louis Laughing in the Jungle The Autobiography of an Immigrant in America New York and London Harper amp Brothers 1932 Reprinted by Arno Press and The New York Times 1969 pp 10 35 In his author s note to his autobiography Laughing in the Jungle 1932 Adamic describes himself as being a boy of fourteen and a half in 1913 when he left his native country for America p ix Late in the afternoon of the last day of 1913 I was examined for entry into the United States with about a hundred other immigrants who had come on the Niagara p 43 LOUIS ADAMIC Slovene American author and translator a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link From Many Lands Anisfield Wolf Book Awards Retrieved May 22 2022 Mr Churchill gets damages and apology The Manchester Guardian January 16 1947 p 3 Libel on Churchill damages 5 000 Daily Express January 16 1947 p 3 The SS Suppressed Safe Collection of the British Library Scissors amp Paste Bibliographies Retrieved October 12 2011 John P Enyeart Revolutionizing Cultural Pluralism The Political Odyssey of Louis Adamic 1932 1951 Journal of American Ethnic History 34 3 Spring 2015 pp 58 90 For more information see the origins section of the article on Nero Wolfe Adamic Louis October 1932 Home Again From America Harper s Magazine Retrieved June 25 2020 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Louis Adamic Works by Louis Adamic at Faded Page Canada FBI Vault Elizabeth Bentley FBI deposition November 30 1945 FBI file 65 14603 FBI Silvermaster file PDF format pgs 38 39 52 53 pgs 437 438 451 452 in original Harper s Magazine articles by Louis Adamic written between 1930 and 1943 subscription Louis Adamic papers and related collections at the Immigration History Research Center Archives University of Minnesota Libraries Louis Adamic at Find a Grave Louis Adamic Primary School named after Louis Adamic in Grosuplje Slovenia Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Louis Adamic amp oldid 1123925062, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
