Stuart Levine (academic)

Stuart George Levine (May 25, 1932 – October 29, 2016) was an American academic focusing on American literature.

Born in New York City, Levine was educated at Harvard University and Brown University. He joined the University of Kansas in 1958 and remained their until his retirement. Levine published several short stories and wrote academic works focusing on the writer Edgar Allan Poe.

Early life and education

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Stuart George Levine was born in Brooklyn on May 25, 1932. His parents were Max and Jean Levine, owners of a haberdashery in Hempstead, New York.[1]: 104 

In 1954, Levine received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University, where he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa.honor society.[1]: 104  He then attended Brown University, receiving an MA in 1956 and a PhD in 1958.[1]: 104  While there, he began an interest in Edgar Allan Poe, with both his MA thesis and doctoral dissertation focusing on the writer.[1]: 105 

Academic career

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After leaving Brown University, Levine joined the department of American Studies at the University of Kansas in 1958.[1]: 105  He retired from the university in 1992.[1]: 105 

Writing career

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In 1960, Levine founded the journal American Studies. He remained its primary editor for thirty years.[1]: 105 

In 1972, Levine published a criticism of Poe's works titled Edgar Poe: Seer and Craftsman.[2] In 2004, Levine and his wife Susan edited a version of Poe's Eureka: A Prose Poem and published it through the University of Illinois Press.[3]

Fiction

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Levine was a prominent writer of short stories, publishing them in magazines including Chicago Review, New Mexico Humanities Review and South Dakota Review. In 1994, he published a collection of short stories titled The Monday-Wednesday-Friday Girl and Other Stories.[1]: 105 

In 2012, Levine self-published a mystery novel called Killing in Okaraygua. He had begun writing a sequel to the book prior to his death.[1]: 106 

Personal life

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On June 6, 1963, Levine married Susan Fleming Matthews in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They had met two years prior after Levine enrolled in a Spanish language course which she was teaching.[1]: 104–5  Matthews later served as assistant dean in the Graduate School of Brown University.[1]: 105  Levine and his wife had a daughter and two sons.[1]: 106 

Levine was a founding member and French horn player in the Lawrence Woodwind Quintet. As a student, he was a member of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra.[1]: 105 

Death

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Levine died on October 29, 2016.[1]: 104  He was buried in Beni Israel Cemetery in Eudora, Kansas.[1]: 106 

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Savoye, Jeffrey A. (2017). "Stuart Levine (1932–2016)". The Edgar Allan Poe Review. 18 (1). doi:10.5325/edgallpoerev.18.1.0104. ISSN 2150-0428. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  2. ^ Jacobs, Robert D. (1973). "Review of Edgar Poe: Seer and Craftsman". American Literature. 45 (3): 461–462. doi:10.2307/2924626. ISSN 0002-9831. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  3. ^ Tatsumi, Takayuki (2008). "Classic Cosmogony". Science Fiction Studies. 35 (1): 145–149. ISSN 0091-7729. Retrieved June 27, 2024.