Kreymborg, Alfred (1883–1966), New York City poet and playwright, whose first collection,
Mushrooms (1916), was an attempt to achieve direct simplicity in poetry. He next turned to poetic drama, writing
Plays for Poem‐Mimes (1918),
Plays for Merry Andrews (1920), and
Puppet Plays (1923), many of which were first presented by the
Provincetown Players.
Less Lonely (1923) shows the juxtaposition of personal themes and conventional verse forms. He continued to experiment with the sonnet form in
The Lost Sail (1928), while
Manhattan Men (1929) represents a midway point between his early experimentation and his later more conventional poetry published in
Prologue in Hell (1930),
The Little World (1932), and
No More War (1950). His
Selected Poems was published in 1945.
Our Singing Strength (1929) is a history of American poetry, complemented by
Lyric America (1930), an anthology.
Troubadour (1925) is the autobiography of his youth on the Lower East Side and his later life in Greenwich Village and elsewhere, during part of which time he was a contributor to little magazines, including
Others and
Broom. His other books include the novels
Erna Vitek (1914) and
I'm No Hero (1933) and a book for children,
Funnybone Alley (1927). He was active in the Federal Theatre and in radio drama, writing for the latter medium such plays as
The Planets (1938), a modern pacifist allegory.
