Liberty's Poet: Emma Lazarus [Paperback]

Hannia S. Moore (Author)

Book Description

A shy, young upper-class Jewish girl aspires to be a poet in 19th century New York City, and Ralph Waldo Emerson becomes her mentor and friend. Then Emma's life takes an unexpected twist. The massive immigration of European Jews fleeing persecution, and many others seeking refuge in the United States - the suffering and despair - touch her deeply. Emma gathers courage and cries out for their defense. She emerges as a warrior, fighting bigotry, and also as a woman feeling the hardships of the oppressed poor.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A visionary Jewish poet born in the nineteenth century, Emma Lazarus is still largely unknown, even though she was a prominent author of her time and her famous poem "The New Colossus" is inscribed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. The line "Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," may now be permanently engraved into the collective American memory, but no mystery has been more elusive than that of Emma Lazarus' private life. Biographies have been few and far between, due in part to a lack of primary sources.

Now one Jewish World War II survivor has taken on the task of writing the first fictional account of Lazarus’ life, told through the eyes of Lazarus herself. The result is a new novel called Liberty’s Poet, Emma Lazarus by immigrant Hannia S. Moore.

Born into a wealthy Jewish family in New York City, Lazarus was part of the city’s literary elite and was mentored by Ralph Waldo Emerson. She wrote prolifically throughout her life and was published in periodicals such as the Atlantic Monthly and the New York Times. In later years, she translated many Jewish works and wrote bold poetry and essays protesting the rise of anti-Semitism. Lazarus worked passionately to improve the life of new immigrants in America, protested Jewish pogroms in Russia, and advocated for the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Her controversial stance as a forerunner of the Zionist movement (before the Zionist title had even been coined), was often misunderstood.

Many late nineteenth century American women writers found success as authors. Still, they were often seen as a "damned mob of scribbling women." In Liberty’s Poet, Moore brings Lazarus’ complicated identity to life, resurrecting Lazarus’ story from its obscured place in the margins of American culture.

About the Author

Born into a Jewish family from the Ukraine in 1942, Hannia S. Moore spent her early years as one of the "hidden children" of World War II. When her family’s village, Korshov, was bombed by the Germans and later destroyed as a result of Stalin’s scorched earth policy, Moore’s parents fled and placed their baby daughter with a Christian family in a nearby village who pledged to keep Hannia’s identity hidden. The Ukraine was entirely occupied by the German army for three years and Moore’s family was the only Jewish family from their village to survive the war intact.

Following the end of the war, Moore’s family moved to Lignitza, Poland, to seek a better life. But the post-war period had set the stage for the new cold war, and Poland quickly fell into the Soviet sphere of influence. Threatened by the rise of the Communist party, Moore and her family immigrated to the safe haven of Jerusalem after Israel became a state in 1948.

As a young girl in Israel, Moore began to explore her Jewish identity by writing and translating Hebrew poems. She attended the Hebrew University and earned her B.A. in 1964. At the age of 25, she immigrated to Canada where she married and taught Jewish studies in Winnipeg and at the Hebrew Academy of Toronto. Newly divorced at 28, Moore decided to move to the ultimate destination for many immigrants, New York City.

"By the time I arrived in New York, I had been an immigrant to five countries, resided in twelve different cities and towns, and could speak five languages," says Moore. "I often felt like I had left a piece of my heart in every place that I lived. New York City, however, always held a special appeal for me; moving here was almost like moving home."

Inspired by the city’s vibrancy and diversity, Moore decided to reinvent her life and pursue a new career as a fashion designer. She attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and studied art at New York University. To support herself, she taught Hebrew, Talmud and adult education courses at night.

From 1970 until the early 1990s, Moore worked her way to the top of the fashion industry. She began as a colorist in Cone Mills on Broadway and quickly rose through the ranks to become a top designer and sample room supervisor. Her designs were so successful that she founded her own company, Fashion by Hannia, Inc., and sold her children and women’s clothing designs to boutiques and department stores around the world.

During these years, Moore’s interest in Jewish studies, immigrant history, literature and translation never waned. In 1997, she finally decided to pursue her passion for writing full-time. Her research led her to the poem "The New Colossus," inscribed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty written by nineteenth century Jewish poet, Emma Lazarus. The more she read about the influential thinker’s poetry and passionate advocacy for immigrants, the more she wanted to know. Fascinated by how closely the themes of Emma Lazarus’ life paralleled her own, Moore was inspired to write a historical novel about Lazarus’ life. As a Jewish immigrant and poet herself, Moore was uniquely qualified to author the account.

Moore currently resides in mid-town Manhattan where she continues to paint, write, and complete translation work for the Ulpan Center and local synagogues. Her arts and crafts designs have been featured in Oxmoor House’s Southern Living.

Product Details

• Paperback: 156 pages
• Publisher: TurnKey Press (January 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0975480340
• ISBN-13: 978-0975480342
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,551,923 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enlighting!, February 28, 2005

By 

Shirley Priscilla Johnson "Author/Reviewer -... (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Liberty's Poet: Emma Lazarus (Paperback)

I want to thank H.S. Moore for this writing. In her work, Liberty's Poet, Emma Lazarus, I was privileged to learn about a young Jewish girl living, in the 19th century in New York City, who had a true gift from God in penning words.
The famous poem, "The New Colossus," that is inscribed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty was written by her hand. I have loved those words since childhood, but not until now did I understand the deep conviction of the one who wrote them, Emma Lazarus. I had to smile as just the other day a commercial came on television quoting her words, never did they mean so much to me as they did at that moment.
I thank the author for that understanding.
Emma knew first hand the degrading humiliation of the Jewish people, those seeking refuge in the United States and the poor reaching out. Through this work I have learned what a wonderful visionary she was; I have gasped at her courage, applauded her compassion, and smiled at her victories.
In this book history is brought to life in a way that is both entertaining and a pleasure to read as well as informative.
Recommended for young and old that wish to partake of a slice of history that touched our country from shore to shore. The story of a young girl whose journey through this life left a thumb print for all generations to follow.
Shirley Johnson/Senior Reviewer
MidWest Book Review

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars immigrants know!, March 13, 2005

By 

Rebecca Brown "rebeccasreads" (Clallam Bay, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Liberty's Poet: Emma Lazarus (Paperback)

Rebeccasreads recommends LIBERTY'S POET: EMMA LAZARUS for those who want to learn the poem, The New Colossus, inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, & about the life & times of the young poet who wrote those immortal lines...which we all think we know, & probably actually don't!

Written as a novel, it is a good effort for a first time writer, who is, herself, like me, an immigrant.