Maria Gowen Brooks

Maria Gowen Brooks , 1795?-1845, American poet, b. Medford, Mass. Her first collection of verse, Judith, Esther, and Other Poems (1820), was praised by Southey, who named her "Maria del Occidente," which she later used as a pseudonym. While living in Cuba she wrote the epic Zophiel; or, The Bride of Seven (1833) and Idomen; or, The Vale of Yumuri (1843). Her poetry, especially the Ode to the Departed (1843), was esteemed both in America and abroad.

Brooks, Maria Gowen (c.1794–1845), Massachusetts poet, whose first volume, Judith, Esther, and Other Poems (1820), was praised by Southey, who dubbed her “Maria of the West,” a name she later used as a pseudonym, along with its translation, Maria del Occidente. She removed to Cuba, where she wrote tragic dramas and further poetry, including her epic Zóphiël (1833). She was also the author of a romance, Idomen; or, The Vale of Yumuri (1843).