An American author of novels, journals, and essays, May Sarton saw herself as a poet first. From the 1930s on, when she published her first sonnets, till her death in 1995, she was a prolific writer who strove for universality and developed a keen interest in interpersonal relationships, the cycles of nature and their effect on artistic creativity, the merits and dangers of solitude, and, most importantly, the process and cultural perceptions of aging.
The only child of George Sarton, a historian of science, and Eleanor Mabel Elwes, a professional designer of furniture and textiles, Eléanore Marie Sarton was born in Wondelgem, Belgium in 1912. Fleeing the advancing Germans in WW 1, the family moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where George Sarton took a post teaching part-time at Harvard
2656 words
Citation: Henneberg, Sylvia. "May Sarton". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 February 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3939, accessed 23 November 2024.]
