author
Margaret Widdemer
1884–1978
A Pulitzer Prize-winning poet who also wrote novels and books for younger readers, she brought lyrical grace to ordinary life and often turned her attention to social issues of her day. Her work helped carry traditional verse into the twentieth century while keeping it warm, readable, and humane.
5 Audiobooks
The Rose-Garden Husband
by Margaret Widdemer
The Wishing-Ring Man
by Margaret Widdemer
I've Married Marjorie
by Margaret Widdemer
A Tree with a Bird in it: A Symposium of Contemporary American Poets on Being Shown a Pear-tree on Which Sat a Grackle
by Margaret Widdemer
Winona of the Camp Fire
by Margaret Widdemer
About the author
Born in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, on September 30, 1884, and raised in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Margaret Widdemer became an American poet and novelist whose career stretched across much of the twentieth century. She studied at the Drexel Institute Library School and went on to publish poetry, fiction, and children's books.
She is best remembered for winning the 1919 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for The Old Road to Paradise, in a split award with Carl Sandburg. Critics and literary organizations also remember her for poems that addressed social concerns, including child labor, while still working within traditional forms and a clear, musical style.
Although poetry remained central to her reputation, Widdemer was a notably prolific writer in several genres. She died on July 14, 1978, leaving behind a body of work that reflects both literary craft and a steady sympathy for everyday people.