The Making of a Writer

The thread by which Mary Antin became a writer, from stolen primers in Russia to published poems in Boston.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Secret Russian Primer Study

The Secret Russian Primer Study The Stolen Book When Fetchke took her Russian lesson, Mary was told to play because of her health. She stole the primer and hid in a storeroom to teach herself. B-O-G and Kaza She spelled "Bog" and "Kaza" by lamplight, and came out to amaze the family. Her disobedience won her a place in the lesson. The First Hunger for Books The secret study showed that she would learn even without a teacher. Her mind demanded the tree of knowledge before she had words for it.

Vitebsk's Sensational Romances

Vitebsk's Sensational Romances A Household of Books In Uncle Solomon's house Mary discovered secular storybooks and old magazines. Robinson Crusoe and violent romances inflamed her imagination. Midnight Reading She burned her lamp until it flickered out, reading of abducted maidens and poisoned daughters. The lurid tales filled her head but did not corrupt her taste. A Door to a Wider World Vitebsk stretched her boundaries and prepared her for emigration. Reading was becoming the path to a larger self.

The Letter to Uncle Moses

The Letter to Uncle Moses A Child's Manuscript Mary wrote a long Yiddish account of the family's journey for her uncle. The letter survived a kerosene lamp accident and years of teasing. A Journey Recorded It faithfully described the herding at stations, the disinfecting sheds, the crowded trains, and the ocean. A child's eye had seized the epic of emigration. Foundation of a Memoir The letter later became the raw material of The Promised Land. She had begun to write her life even before she knew it.

The Washington Poem in Print

The Washington Poem in Print The Manuscript Journey Mary carried her Washington poem to Newspaper Row and entered the Boston Transcript building. After many wrong doors, the Herald editor accepted it. The Published Author When the paper arrived, the whole house pounced on it. Her poem was buried in the middle of the sheet but her name was at the bottom. Father Buys the Edition Pinchus spent the cash drawer buying Heralds and gave them away to friends. Mary became the pride of Arlington Street.

The Encyclopedia Ambition

The Encyclopedia Ambition The Book of Fame Mary often turned to the encyclopedia to read biographies of famous people. She dreamed that one day her own name would appear there. The Secret Place in the Alphabet She calculated that "Antin, Mary" would stand near "Alcott, Louisa M." and practiced saying the chopped-off form. The Aspiring Heart The ambition was secret and enormous. It represented her faith in the future.

childhood in Polotzk

during the six-month visit to Vitebsk

during Mary Antin's first hot summer in America

during the Washington's Birthday celebration year in Chelsea

during the Chelsea library summers before high school