Emma Lazarus
26 quotes in 202 categories
Emma Lazarus was a writer from the United States, best known for The Poems of Emma Lazarus; Volume 1.
Quick Facts About Emma Lazarus
- Born
- March 24, 1862
- Died
- January 14, 1943
- Nationality
- United States
- Profession
- Writer
- Notable works
- The Poems of Emma Lazarus; Volume 1
- Known for
- The New Colossus, The Banner of the Jew
About Emma Lazarus
Emma Lazarus was an American author of poetry, prose, and translations, as well as an activist for Jewish and Georgist causes. Lazarus is especially remembered for her 1883 sonnet, "The New Colossus", which was inspired by the Statue of Liberty. Lines from the sonnet are inscribed on a bronze plaque which was installed on the Statue's pedestal in 1903. Lazarus was involved in aiding refugees to New York who had fled antisemitic pogroms in eastern Europe, and she saw a way to express her empathy for these refugees in terms of the statue. The last lines of the sonnet were set to music by Irving Berlin as the song "Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor" for the 1949 musical Miss Liberty, which was based on the sculpting of the Statue of Liberty. The latter part of the sonnet was also set by Lee Hoiby in his song "The Lady of the Harbor" written in 1985 as part of his song cycle "Three Women".
Biography source: Wikipedia
