Louis Kronenberger
Louis Kronenberger
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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Louis Kronenberger was born as Louis Kornfeld on June 19, 1904, in New York City, USA.
Birth and Death Dates
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Born: June 19, 1904
Died: October 7, 1980 (aged 76)
Nationality and Profession(s)
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Nationality: American
Professions: Critic, Literary Historian
Early Life and Background
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Louis Kronenberger was born in a Jewish family to Henry Kornfeld, a tailor, and his wife. He grew up in New York City's Lower East Side, where he developed an interest in literature and writing at an early age.
Kronenberger attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, graduating with honors in English Literature in 1925. After college, he moved to Paris, where he studied at the Sorbonne and was heavily influenced by French literary traditions. Kronenberger returned to New York City in the late 1920s, where he began working as a critic for various publications.
Major Accomplishments
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Kronenberger's writing career spanned over five decades, with numerous notable accomplishments:
Criticism and Literary History: He was one of the leading critics of his generation, known for his insightful reviews and essays on literature. Kronenberger wrote extensively on major authors such as Shakespeare, Dickens, and Dostoevsky.
Academic Career: In 1935, he joined Hunter College (now part of CUNY) as an English professor, where he taught until his retirement in 1969.
Notable Works or Actions
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Some notable works by Louis Kronenberger include:
Shakespeare: The Play and Its Maidens (1946)
The Last Good Kiss (1970)
Kronenberger was a recipient of the National Book Award in 1963 for his collection of essays, "What's the World Coming To?"
Impact and Legacy
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Louis Kronenberger had a lasting impact on literary criticism and academia. His writing style, which blended erudition with wit, has influenced generations of scholars and critics.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Kronenberger's quotes are still widely referenced today due to his:
Eloquent Style: Kronenberger's writing is characterized by its lyricism, precision, and depth.
Timeless Insights: His critiques of literature continue to provide valuable perspectives on some of the most enduring works in human culture.
Overall, Louis Kronenberger's contributions as a literary critic, historian, and professor have left an indelible mark on the world of letters.
Quotes by Louis Kronenberger
The Englishman wants to be recognized as a gentleman, or as some other suitable species of human being, the American wants to be considered a good guy.
One of the misfortunes of our time is that in getting rid of false shame we have killed off so much real shame as well.
Once you have money, you can quite truthfully affirm that money isn’t everything.
Ours is the country where, in order to sell your product, you don’t so much point out its merits as you first work like hell to sell yourself.
Ours must be the first age whose great goal, on a nonmaterial plane, is not fulfillment but adjustment; and perhaps just such a goal has served as maladjustment’s weapon.
In general, American social life constitutes an evasion of talking to people. Most Americans don’t, in any vital sense, get together; they only do things together.
The trouble with us in America isn’t that the poetry of life has turned to prose, but that it has turned to Advertising copy.
Today’s competitiveness, so much imposed from without, is exhausting, not exhilarating; is unending-a part of one’s social life, one’s solitude, one’s sleep, one’s sleeplessness.
A great maxim of personal responsibility and mature achievement: “Do it yourself” is now the enthroned cliche for being occupied with nonessentials.