George William Russell [AE] letter to Miss Joanna Fortune

Irish poet, dramatist and editor George William Russell, who most often used the pseudonym AE, was a key figure in the rise of the Irish National Theatre.

Russell was born April 10, 1867, in Lurgan, County Armagh, Ireland. He was an important leader in the Agricultural Cooperative Movement and in 1905, was appointed the editor of its chief publication, the Irish Homestead. The Irish Homestead later became the Irish Statesman, which Russell edited until 1930. Russell wrote a number of books of poetry, including his first published volume, Homeward: Songs by the Way (1894). In addition to numerous essays, many of which were collected and published, Russell wrote several novels and an autobiography. Russell’s play, Deirdre, was performed at the Irish National Theatre in 1902. George Russell died July 17, 1935, in Bournemouth, England.

Contemporary Authors Online (reproduced in Biography Resource Center). http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioR (accessed February 12, 2010).

Miss Joanna Fortune was a wealthy Chicago native who supported literary publications such as her friend, Jane Heap's The Little Review, and Harriet Monroe's Poetry.

Heap, Jane. Dear Tiny Heart : the letters of Jane Heap and Florence Reynolds. Edited by Holly A. Baggett. New York : New York University Press, 2000. Page 178.