Harold Bloom

For the screenwriter, see Harold Jack Bloom.

Harold Bloom
Bloom in 1986
Bloom in 1986
Born(1930-07-11)July 11, 1930
New York City, U.S.
DiedOctober 14, 2019(2019-10-14) (aged 89)
New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation
EducationCornell University (BA)
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Yale University (MA, PhD)
Literary movementAestheticism, Romanticism
Years active1955–2019
Spouse
Jeanne Gould
​
(m. 1958)​
Children2

Harold Bloom (July 11, 1930 – October 14, 2019) was an American literary critic and the Sterling Professor of humanities at Yale University.[1] In 2017, Bloom was called "probably the most famous literary critic in the English-speaking world".[2] After publishing his first book in 1959, Bloom wrote more than 50 books,[3] including over 40 books of literary criticism, several books discussing religion, and one novel. He edited hundreds of anthologies concerning numerous literary and philosophical figures for the Chelsea House publishing firm.[4][5] Bloom's books have been translated into more than 40 languages. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1995.[6]

Bloom was a defender of the traditional Western canon at a time when literature departments were focusing on what he derided as the "School of Resentment" (which included multiculturalism, feminism, Marxism, and other ideologies).[7][8] He was educated at Yale University, the University of Cambridge, and Cornell University.

  1. ^ "Faculty – English". Yale University. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  2. ^ "Harold Bloom". Oxford Bibliographies. Archived from the original on October 19, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  3. ^ Miller, Mary Alice. "How Harold Bloom Selected His Top 12 American Authors". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on July 12, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  4. ^ Romano, Carlin (April 24, 2011). "Harold Bloom by the Numbers – The Chronicle Review". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Archived from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference nytbegley was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "APS Member History". American Philosophical Society. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYTObit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Redfield, Marc (2003). "Literature, Incorporated". In Herman, Peter C. (ed.). Historicizing Theory. New York City: SUNY Press. p. 210. ISBN 978-0-7914-5962-1.