author
John Chipman Farrar
1896–1974
A poet turned publisher, he helped shape American literary life far beyond his own books. He founded major publishing houses and played an important role in launching the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference.
1 Audiobook
Songs for Parents
by John Chipman Farrar
About the author
Born in Burlington, Vermont, John Chipman Farrar was an American editor, writer, and publisher whose career bridged poetry and the business of books. After serving in World War I as an aviation inspector, he graduated from Yale in 1919, and his early poetry won recognition when Forgotten Shrines received the Yale Younger Poets Prize.
Farrar first worked in literary journalism and publishing, including a period as editor of The Bookman and later work at Doubleday. He went on to found Farrar & Rinehart and, later, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, linking his name permanently with 20th-century American publishing.
He is also remembered for helping establish the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference in 1926, a lasting gathering place for writers. Yale’s archival records show the breadth of his literary life, from his own manuscripts to correspondence with major authors, reflecting a career devoted to writing, editing, and encouraging other writers.