author
Max Eastman
1883–1969
A lively critic and poet who moved from early socialism to fierce anti-communism, he spent decades arguing with the big political ideas of his time. He is also remembered as the editor who helped make The Masses one of America’s most influential radical magazines.
1 Audiobook
Colors of Life: Poems and Songs and Sonnets
by Max Eastman
About the author
Born in Canandaigua, New York, Max Eastman was an American writer, poet, editor, and political activist whose career stretched across much of the twentieth century. He studied at Williams College and later at Columbia, where he taught philosophy before becoming deeply involved in the radical literary and political world of New York.
Eastman became best known as editor of The Masses and later The Liberator, two magazines that brought together politics, literature, and modern art. His writing ranged widely—poetry, criticism, memoir, social commentary, and translation—and he was closely connected to major debates about free speech, socialism, war, and culture.
What makes his life especially striking is how dramatically his politics changed over time. After early prominence on the American left, he became one of communism’s sharpest critics, while continuing to write with energy and independence. That long intellectual journey gives his work a restless, questioning quality that still makes him an interesting figure to read today.