Maxwell Bodenheim was born on May 26th, 1892, in Hermanville, Mississippi. In 1900, when Maxwell was eight, the family moved from Mississippi to Chicago. Maxwell remained under the radar until 1912 when he met writer Ben Hecht. The two quickly formed a literary friendship, and Bodenheim published his first poem in 1914, then again in 1917.
He married his first wife, Minna, in 1918. They had a son, Solbert, in 1920 but divorced in 1938.
At this time, Bodenheim had established himself as a leading figure in the bohemian scene of New York's Greenwich Village, an active member of the Raven Poetry Circle, and an upcoming American author. He published ten books of poetry between 1918 and 1946 and co-founded the Chicago Literary Times with Ben Hecht in 1923. However, he quickly deteriorated after his success and became a panhandler. Then, he married his second wife, Grace, in 1939, and they lived in the Catskills until her untimely death in 1950.
In 1952, Bodenheim married Ruth Fagin, who shared his affinity for Bodenheim's derelict lifestyle. Homeless, they slept on park benches. Bodenheim would panhandle or write verse for money and drink, while Ruth became a prostitute- a career that Bodenheim would beat her for.
Their wild and carefree lifestyle eventually caught up to them, and Maxwell Bodenheim and Ruth Fagin were murdered on February 6th, 1954, by Harold, a 25-year-old dishwasher. Allegedly, he slept with Ruth while Bodenheim was passed out drunk, but when Bodenheim confronted the pair, Harold shot him before beating and stabbing Ruth to death.
Despite his macabre ending, Bodenheim left a legacy that continues to make waves in literary circles. We are reading from Against this Age, a collection of poetry published in 1923 at the height of Bodenheim's career. To learn more about this author and his works, check out the link above or visit his Wikipedia page.
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