Felix Pollak

Felix Pollak (November 11, 1909–November 19, 1987) was an American poet and librarian.^[1]

Pollak was born in Vienna, Austria in 1909 to Geza Pollak and Helene Schneider Pollak.^[2] A Jew and liberal anti-fascist, he studied law and theater at the University of Vienna, but emigrated to the United States after the occupation of Austria by Nazi Germany. He worked as a door-to-door salesman in New York City before attending the University of Buffalo, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in library sciences in 1941.^[3]

While working as a librarian, Pollak was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943, where he worked as a translator for German prisoners of war. After the war, he attended the University of Michigan, where he received a master's degree in library science in 1949. Pollak also received a Dr.Jur. from the University of Vienna in 1953.^[3]

From 1949 to 1959, Pollak worked as a rare books librarian at Northwestern University. He became a rare books librarian at the University of Wisconsin in 1959, where he remained until 1974.^[3] One of his primary duties was developing the Sukov collection of literary magazines (now called the Little Magazine collection, which remains to date one of the world's finest collections for small literary magazines and the publications of independent poetry presses. After his retirement, Pollak remained in Madison, Wisconsin until his death in 1987.

In addition to his work as a librarian, Pollak was also an accomplished poet. He published seven volumes of poetry and his poems appeared in a range of prominent publications, including The American Poetry Review, Poetry Northwest, New Letters, Prairie Schooner, TriQuarterly, The Madison Review, and the Wisconsin Academy Review. His most famous poem: "Speaking: The Hero" has frequently been cited as a forceful example of Vietnam war protest poetry, though it was written in response to the Nazi concentration camps and the bombing of Hiroshima.^[3][4]

Since 1994, the University of Wisconsin Press has annually awarded a poetry prize named after Pollak.

Bibliography

• Felix Pollak, The Castle and the Flaw New Rochelle, New York: Elizabeth Press, 1963.
• Felix Pollak, Say When La Crosse, Wisconsin: Juniper Press, 1969.
• Felix Pollak, Ginkgo. New Rochelle, New York: Elizabeth Press, 1973.
• Felix Pollak, Subject to Change La Crosse, Wisconsin: Juniper Press, 1978.
• Felix Pollak, Prose and Cons La Crosse, Wisconsin: Juniper Press, 1983.
• Felix Pollak, Tunnel Visions Peoria, Illinois: Spoon River Poetry Press, 1984.
• Felix Pollak, Benefits of Doubt Peoria, Illinois: Spoon River Poetry Press, 1988.
• Gregory H. Mason. Arrows of Longing: The Correspondence between Anais Nin and Felix Pollak, 1952-1976. Ohio University Press: 1998.

References

External links

• Felix and Friends at University of Wisconsin

Most known for his poem "Speaking: The Hero"