Irving Howe

Irving Howe was an American literary and social critic known for his influential contributions to political and cultural discourse. A prominent figure in the Democratic Socialists of America, he authored several notable works, including "Politics and the Novel" and "World of Our Fathers," which explored themes of Jewish immigrant life and socialist thought. His writings often bridged literature and politics, establishing him as a key intellectual voice in mid-20th-century America.

Howe's career was marked by his incisive analysis of literature's intersection with social movements. As the founding editor of "Dissent" magazine, he provided a platform for democratic socialist ideas and critical debates. His scholarly approach combined rigorous historical context with accessible prose, making complex political theories relevant to broader audiences. Beyond his written works, Howe's legacy endures through his mentorship of younger writers and his enduring influence on progressive thought.
The William E. Massey Sr. Lectures Books
# Title Year
1 The American Newness 1986
2 Highbrow/Lowbrow (By: Lawrence W. Levine) 1988
3 Revolutions (By: David Brion Davis) 1990
4 Playing in the Dark (By: Toni Morrison) 1992
5 The Southern Tradition (By: Eugene D. Genovese) 1994
6 Writing Was Everything (By: Alfred Kazin) 1998
7 The Dissent of the Governed (By: Stephen L. Carter) 1998
8 Achieving Our Country (By: Richard M. Rorty) 1999
9 The Real American Dream (By: Andrew Delbanco) 1999
10 To Be the Poet (By: Maxine Hong Kingston) 2002
11 Reporting the Universe ( By: E.L. Doctorow) 2003
12 Circles and Lines (By: John Putnam Demos) 2004
13 Architecture as Signs and Systems (By: Robert Venturi) 2004
14 Reshaping the Work-Family Debate (By: Joan C. Williams) 2010
15 Tiger Writing ( By: Gish Jen) 2013
16 Tiger Writing (By: Gish Jen) 2013
17 Three Songs, Three Singers, Three Nations (By: Greil Marcus) 2015
18 Just a Journalist (By: Linda Greenhouse) 2017
Non-Fiction Books
# Title Year
1 The U.A.W. and Walter Reuther 1949
2 Sherwood Anderson 1951
3 William Faulkner 1952
4 The American Communist Party 1957
5 Politics and the Novel 1957
6 Thomas Hardy 1967
7 The Idea of the Modern in Literature and the Arts 1967
8 Steady Work 1967
9 Decline of the New 1970
10 The Literature of America 1971
11 The Critical Point, on Literature and Culture 1973
12 World of Our Fathers 1976
13 Leon Trotsky 1978
14 Celebrations and Attacks 1979
15 A Margin of Hope 1982
16 Socialism And America 1985
17 Selected Writings 1990
18 Critic's Notebook 1994