Dawn Powell
A sharp-tongued chronicler of New York's bohemian underbelly, whose witty novels of artistic struggle were rediscovered decades after her death.
1896–1965 (age 69)·American novelist, playwright, screenwriter·Birthday: November 28·The Lost Generation
Biography
Dawn Powell spent a lifetime observing the follies of the creative classes from a ringside seat in Greenwich Village. Transplanted from a difficult Ohio childhood, she embraced Manhattan as her true subject, documenting its artists, hangers-on, and schemers with unsentimental hilarity. Novels like 'Turn, Magic Wheel' and 'The Wicked Pavilion' mixed farce with a piercing understanding of failure and ambition. Though she enjoyed the respect of peers like Ernest Hemingway and Edmund Wilson, and the editorial guidance of Maxwell Perkins, popular success eluded her. Powell wrote steadily—novels, plays, and a famously candid diary—while navigating a tumultuous personal life. It wasn't until the 1990s, when a revival led by Gore Vidal and Tim Page unearthed her work, that she was finally recognized as a master American satirist.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Dawn was born in 1896, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dawn Was Born
The biggest hits of 1896
Dawn's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1896Born
First modern Olympic Games held in Athens
President: Grover Cleveland
1901Started school
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1909Became a teenager
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1912Could drive
Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage
President: William Howard Taft
1914Could vote
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1917Turned 21
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1926Turned 30
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1936Turned 40
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1946Turned 50
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1956Turned 60
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1965Died at 69
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
Key Achievements
- Published a series of acclaimed satirical novels set in New York City, including 'A Time to Be Born' and 'The Golden Spur.'
- Was nominated for the National Book Award in 1963 for her novel 'The Golden Spur.'
- Maintained a prolific literary career while also writing successful plays for Broadway and off-Broadway stages.
- Her extensive diaries, published posthumously, provide a vital and candid record of mid-century American literary life.
Did You Know?
She was the only author edited by the famed Scribner's editor Maxwell Perkins who was not a bestseller in her lifetime.
Powell wrote several Hollywood screenplays in the 1930s and 40s, including for the film 'The Lady Comes Across.'
She kept a map of Manhattan on her wall, marking the locations where her characters lived.
Novelist Gore Vidal called her 'America's best comic novelist.'
““New York is a cage in which we are all awaiting trial.””
