Yet, as Steward noted in an interview during the 1970s, the book was “very tame – reading like ‘Little Women’ by today’s standards.” The publication of ‘Angels on the Bough’ prompted Washington State College to not renew Steward’s contract. Steward soon began hearing rumors that college administrators found his book distasteful for its sympathetic portrayal of a prostitute, one of the main characters. Review copies reached campus in early May 1936. “It quite definitely did something to me.” Steward loses his jobĭespite the favorable reception, the book started causing trouble for Steward before it was even published. “I like it I like it a lot, you have really created a piece of something,” Stein wrote. The New York Times wrote favorably about the novel, describing Steward as possessing “a very distinct gift above the usual.”Īnd Gertrude Stein, the American writer and expatriate who lived most of her life in France, lauded “Angels on the Bough” in a letter she penned to Steward. The book immediately received reviews, almost entirely positive, in dozens of newspapers across the country. As Gipson explained to Steward, “We are interested not in making money out of any author for whom we may publish, but in helping him.”Ĭaxton published “Angels on the Bough” in May 1936. Gipson, understood the transformative power of books and sought to give a voice to deserving writers when other firms rejected them. Lehigh University Special Collectionsįounded in 1907, Caxton Printers has earned national attention for its fierce defense of freedom of expression and unique publishing philosophy. After an editorial review, Caxton Printers agreed to publish Steward’s novel, “Angels on the Bough,” which told the story of a small group of characters and their intertwined lives in a college town. He worked to find a publisher and contacted a small firm in rural Idaho. The following year, Washington State College – now Washington State University – hired Steward to teach classes on a one-year contract.Īn aspiring writer, Steward drafted his first novel while still a graduate student. in English in 1934 from Ohio State University. A book met with backlashĪ native of the Midwest, Steward earned his Ph.D. More than 80 years ago, an English professor named Samuel Steward was dismissed from his teaching position after publishing what his college’s president deemed a “racy” novel.Īs an archivist and scholar studying publishing in the American West, I’ve located published and unpublished archival sources detailing the controversy surrounding Steward after he published his first novel, which ultimately cost him his job. Rather than being a product of recent “ cancel culture,” tension has long existed over the ability of professors to freely teach and write about controversial topics without fear of retribution. However, the lecturer was still not rehired.Ĭoncerns about academic freedom are nothing new. Hamline labeled the incident “Islamophobic” and released a statement, co-signed by the university’s president, saying that respect for “Muslim students … should have superseded academic freedom.”Īfter widespread backlash, the university walked back that statement. In January 2023, Hamline University opted not to renew the contract of an art professor who showed a 14th-century depiction of the Prophet Muhammad in class. StewardĪlessandro Meregaglia, Boise State University For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).Outside of teaching and writing, Samuel Steward took up tattooing. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. (50.8 x 40.6 cm) Type of Resource Still image Identifiers TMS ID: 8928 TMS Object Number: 91PH008.010 Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 894a5840-c63e-012f-4117-58d385a7bc34 Copyright Notice Photo by Robert Giard © Jonathan Silin Rights Statement This item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. Physical Description Gelatin silver prints Extent: Print Size: 20 x 16 in. Andros, Phil Genres Photographs Portraits Notes Content: Signed, dated, titled and numbered recto. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection Shelf locator: 91PH008.010 Topics Authors Gays Steward, Samuel M. Particular Voices: Portraits of Gay and Lesbian Writers by Robert Giard Dates / Origin Date Issued: 1988 Library locations The Miriam and Ira D. Names Giard, Robert (Photographer) Collection
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