:quality(75)/https%3A%2F%2Fassets.lareviewofbooks.org%2Fuploads%2FHugo%20Gernsback%20imagines%20telemedicine%2C%20Science%20and%20Innovation%20(Feb.%201925).png "Looking Back at 1925 | Los Angeles Review of Books")
1925: A Year of Literary Brilliance
the year 1925 holds a special place in American literary history, often hailed as an “annus mirabilis” – a year of extraordinary achievements. This period witnessed the birth of iconic works that continue to resonate with readers today, shaping the literary landscape and leaving an indelible mark on American culture.
From the captivating prose of F.Scott Fitzgerald’s *The Great Gatsby* to the raw realism of Theodore Dreiser’s *An American Tragedy*, 1925 saw a surge of groundbreaking novels.Gertrude Stein’s experimental masterpiece, *The Making of Americans*, pushed the boundaries of language and narrative structure, while Ernest Hemingway’s debut collection, *In Our Time*, introduced his signature minimalist style. Ezra Pound’s groundbreaking poetry collection, *Cantos*, and T.S. Eliot’s first collected poems further solidified the modernist movement’s impact. William Carlos Williams’s *In the American Grain* offered a unique outlook on American identity through poetry.
Beyond individual novels, 1925 witnessed the emergence of meaningful literary movements. alain Locke’s anthology,*The New Negro*,served as a powerful platform for Harlem Renaissance writers,artists,and critics,marking a pivotal moment in African American literary history. Willa Cather’s *the Professor’s House*, often considered one of her finest works, explored themes of nostalgia, memory, and the changing american west. Sinclair Lewis’s *Arrowsmith*,eerily prescient in its exploration of epidemics,scientific ethics,and the complexities of medical advancements,resonated deeply with readers. Anita Loos’s witty and subversive comedy,*Gentlemen Prefer blondes*,offered a sharp critique of societal expectations and gender roles. John Dos Passos’s modernist masterpiece, *Manhattan Transfer*, captured the energy, alienation, and fragmentation of urban life. Other notable works included Edith Wharton’s commercial success, *The Mother’s Recompense*, Sherwood Anderson’s introspective novel, *Dark Laughter*, O.E. Rølvaag’s poignant immigrant saga, *Giants in the Earth*, and Ellen Glasgow’s powerful exploration of societal constraints, *Barren Ground*.william Faulkner, a rising literary force, published his first collection of short stories and completed the manuscript for his debut novel.
Reflecting on the enduring legacy of these works, literary scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. eloquently stated, “Thinking about the titles appropriate for inclusion in these series led me, inevitably, to think about what, for me, constitutes a “classic.” And thinking about this led me, in turn, to the wealth of reflections on what defines a work of literature or philosophy somehow speaking to the human condition beyond time and place, a work somehow endlessly compelling, generation upon generation, a work whose author we don’t have to look like to identify with, to feel at one with, as we find ourselves transported through the magic of a textual time machine; a work that refracts the image of ourselves that we project onto it, regardless of our ethnicity, our gender, our time, our place.”
The roar of the jazz age was reaching a fever pitch, and the literary world was at its heart.
The year was 1925,a moment when books held an unparalleled sway over American culture. More magazines, journals, reviews, and discussions dedicated to literature then ever before fueled the public’s insatiable appetite for words. “Literary writing was an essential and consequential business,” and even the most modest books received thoughtful attention in reviews that were often well-informed and intellectually engaging. This golden age of reading was a time of dynamic change, where Modernist writers continued to stir debate, and the rise of pulpy genres like detective stories, science fiction, Westerns, and romance captivated a growing audience.
A hundred years later, 1925 stands as a engaging snapshot. historian and author of “1925,” reflects, “In reading the year, I could see the seeds of virtually every aspect of our cultural life… The fear of environmental degradation, the corruption in our politics, the competing claims of utopianism and dystopia, the alarming growth of right-wing authoritarianism, the bitterly divided views on science, mass media, art, nature, justice, generations, community, freedom, sexuality, race, immigration—all can be seen in thier budding or full-blown gore and glory in 1925. We have come far and yet not very far at all.”
The author, deeply immersed in the literary landscape of the 1920s, noticed a particular interest with the interplay between surface and depth in American culture. This, combined with a wealth of compelling material—books, films, paintings, music, political discourse, newspapers, magazines—fueled the desire to share these insights. “I’ve read a lot of books published in the decade, and I’ve studied a lot of other material…and I won’t teach it again.I feel,rightly or wrongly,that I owe it to the material to pass on what I’ve gleaned.”
This unique perspective offers a glimpse into a pivotal moment in American history, revealing how the concerns and themes shaping our world today were already emerging a century ago.