Emma Wolf
(1896)
(1896)
Born(1865-06-15)June 15, 1865
San Francisco, California, U.S.
DiedAugust 30, 1932(1932-08-30) (aged 67)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
OccupationAuthor
Alma mater
Genre
Notable worksA Prodigal in Love
Signature

Emma Wolf (June 15, 1865 – August 30, 1932) was an American litterateur and novelist. She published early in life and was the author of five novels. Wolf was born with a congenital defect and spent part of her life in a wheelchair.

Early life and education

Emma Wolf was born June 15, 1865, in San Francisco, California. Her parents, Simon and Annette (née Levy) Wolf, were Jewish[1][2][3] and were emigrants from Alsace, France.[4][5] There were ten siblings, including a sister, Alice, who was also an author.[6]

She was educated in the public schools of San Francisco, including the Girls High School,[4] as well as the Teacher's College.[3] A physical disability kept her from becoming a teacher.[6]

Career

Early on, Wolf developed a bent for publishing her work. Her Jewish-themed novels attracted particular attention,[5] while other novels focused on the changing roles of women.[4] Numerous short stories were contributed to magazines.[3]

Her first novel, Other Things Being Equal (Chicago, A. C. McClurg, 1892), focused on the present-day social life of the American Jew, with the lesson derived being that other things being equal, a Jewish woman may marry a Christian. It affirmed the morality and peace of Jewish homes.[7] A Prodigal in Love (New York City, Harper, 1894), again set in San Francisco, was a successful novel telling the story of home perplexities.[8][9] This was followed by Joy of Life (New York City, A. C. McClurg, 1896), the story of two very different brothers.[10] Heirs of Yesterday (Chicago, A. C. McClurg, 1900) was described by Adler & Szold (1906) as "an interesting novel in which the force of tradition upon the Jew and the prejudiced attitude of the Christians are the underlying motives".[7] Wolf's last novel, published in 1916, was entitled Fulfillment.[2][3]

Personal life

Affected by a congenital defect, Wolf did not lead a very active life. In her later years, she was reliant on a wheelchair. She lived for a number of years at San Francisco's Dante Sanitorium.[4] Wolf was a member of Congregation Emanu-El[4] and the Philomath Club.[3]

Emma Wolf died in San Francisco, on August 30, 1932.[11]

Selected works

  • Other Things Being Equal (1892)
  • A Prodigal in Love (1894)
  • Joy of Life (1896)
  • Heirs of Yesterday (1900)
  • Fulfillment (1916)

References

  1. ↑ Herringshaw, Thomas William (1914). Herringshaw's National Library of American Biography: Contains Thirty-five Thousand Biographies of the Acknowledged Leaders of Life and Thought of the United States; Illustrated with Three Thousand Vignette Portraits ... American Publishers' Association. p. 753. Retrieved 8 June 2023. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. 1 2 The Encyclopedia Americana: A Library of Universal Knowledge ... Encyclopedia Americana Corporation. 1924. p. 437. Retrieved 8 June 2023. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Who's who in American Jewry. Jewish Biographical Bureau. 1927. p. 301. Retrieved 8 June 2023. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Kirzane, Jessica (23 June 2021). "Emma Wolf". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  5. 1 2 The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day. Funk and Wagnalls. 1912. p. 547. Retrieved 8 June 2023. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. 1 2 Baym, Nina (17 August 2012). Women Writers of the American West, 1833-1927. University of Illinois Press. p. 308. ISBN 978-0-252-07884-2. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  7. 1 2 Adler, Cyrus; Szold, Henrietta (1906). American Jewish Year Book. Vol. 8. Jewish Publication Society of America. pp. 141–42. Retrieved 8 June 2023. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  8. ↑ Appletons' Annual Cyclopædia and Register of Important Events of the Year ... D. Appleton & Company. 1895. p. 391. Retrieved 8 June 2023. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  9. ↑ The Annual American Catalogue 1886-1900: Being the Full Titles, with Descriptive Notes, of All Books Recorded in the Publishers' Weekly, 1886-1900 with Author, Title, and Subject Index, Publishers' Annual Lists, and Directory of Publishers. Vol. 9. Publishers' weekly. 1895. p. 206. Retrieved 8 June 2023. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  10. ↑ "Joy of Life". Book News: An Illustrated Magazine of Literature and Books ... Vol. 15, no. 175. John Wanamaker. March 1897. pp. 342, 378. Retrieved 8 June 2023. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  11. ↑ "AUTHOR'S RITES WILL BE TODAY. Obit, Emma Wolf. Died, San Francisco, 30 Aug 1932". Oakland Tribune. 31 August 1932. p. 7. Retrieved 8 June 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

Further reading

  • Cantalupo, Barbara; Harrison-Kahan, Lori (3 November 2020). Heirs of Yesterday. Wayne State University Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-8143-4669-3. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
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