Abel Meeropol
Abel Meeropol (pseudonym: Lewis Allan ; born February 19, 1903 in New York City , † October 30, 1986 in Longmeadow , Massachusetts ) was an American songwriter and writer.
Meeropol attended Dewitt Clinton High School in New York's Bronx until 1921 , where he taught English literature for twenty-seven years. He was also active as a writer for theater, film, radio and television and was politically active in the Communist Party . Under the impression of photos of the lynching of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, he wrote the song Strange Fruit in 1937 , for which he also composed the melody. The anti-racist song became famous as interpreted by Billie Holiday and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1978 .
The song The House I Live In , which Frank Sinatra sang in the film of the same name in 1945, and Apples, Peaches and Cherries , which he wrote for Peggy Lee , also became famous . In the field of classical music he mainly worked with the composers Robert Kurka and Elie Siegmeister and wrote a. a. the libretti for the operas The Good Soldier Schweik , Darling Corie , Malady of Love and The Soldier as well as the text of the cantata The Town Crier .
In 1953 he and his wife adopted the two sons of the executed Ethel and Julius Rosenberg .
Web links
- Findery - Abel Meeropol (aka Lewis Allen) (1903-1986)
- Syracuse University Library - Lewis Allan Typescript
- Elizabeth Blair: npr music: "The Strange Story Of The Man Behind 'Strange Fruit'"
- Lewis Allan at Allmusic (English)
- Abel Meeropol in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- New York State Literary Tree - Abel Meeropol
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Meeropol, Abel |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Allan, Lewis (pseudonym) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American writer, librettist, and songwriter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 19, 1903 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | New York City |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 30, 1986 |
| Place of death | Longmeadow |