Last month, the writer Emanuel Litvinoff died at the age of 96. Litvinoff wrote poetry, a memoir, and several novels. But history might remember him most for one poem, “To T.S. Eliot,” a lambasting and inspired statement against the titular poet’s anti-Semitism.
In his poem “Burbank with a Baedeker: Bleistein with a Cigar,” as well as other poems, Eliot spoke disparagingly of Jewish landlords and money-grubbers. Levinoff’s poem fires back at Eliot: “I share the protozoic slime of Shylock…and, underneath the cities, a billet somewhat lower than the rats,” he wrote.
One night in 1951, Levinoff gave a reading at the Institute for Contemporary Art in London, in which he read this poem. In the audience was one T.S. Eliot. Following an impassioned reading, a Jewish audience member leaped to his feet and protested the mistreatment of Eliot. Other audience members cheered on the protestor. However, one person observed quietly that it was a “very good poem”–Eliot himself.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
