Born | |
---|---|
Died | April 29, 1940 | (aged 69)
Occupation(s) | journalist, columnist, author |
Spouse | Eleanor Block |
Children | Rudolph, [3] Albert |
Rudolph Edgar Block (December 6, 1870 – April 29, 1940) was a Jewish American journalist, columnist, and author. Much of his writing was done under the pen name of Bruno Lessing. [4]
Rudolph Block began his career as a journalist in 1888. He worked first as a news reporter on The New York Sun and later joined The New York World. In 1896 he became the editor of the comic supplements to the Hearst newspapers, [4] a position he held for the next 28 years. [1] During his tenure he supplied text for The Yellow Kid [5] and helped to create such popular series as Happy Hooligan and The Katzenjammer Kids. [1] As "Bruno Lessing" his short stories chronicled life in the Jewish ghetto of New York City. [6] Between 1905 and 1909, many of these tales were published by Cosmopolitan, which at that time was a literary magazine. [7] During the years 1915 – 1916 he also wrote a number of screenplays depicting the Jewish American experience. [8]
Ambrose Bierce, another frequent contributor to Cosmopolitan, [9] mentioned Block in his satirical work The Devil's Dictionary, recounting the author's alleged encounter with a prominent critic. [10] A short poem by Bierce, titled "Rudolph Block", had no apparent connection to the man himself. [11]
An avid traveler, Block wrote about his experiences in the daily newspaper column "Vagabondia", which was published from 1928 through 1939. [12] [13] Along the way he amassed a collection of 1,400 walking sticks, although he himself walked unaided. [14] After his death, the collection of canes, each made from a unique type of wood, was donated to Yale University. [15]
Born | |
---|---|
Died | April 29, 1940 | (aged 69)
Occupation(s) | journalist, columnist, author |
Spouse | Eleanor Block |
Children | Rudolph, [3] Albert |
Rudolph Edgar Block (December 6, 1870 – April 29, 1940) was a Jewish American journalist, columnist, and author. Much of his writing was done under the pen name of Bruno Lessing. [4]
Rudolph Block began his career as a journalist in 1888. He worked first as a news reporter on The New York Sun and later joined The New York World. In 1896 he became the editor of the comic supplements to the Hearst newspapers, [4] a position he held for the next 28 years. [1] During his tenure he supplied text for The Yellow Kid [5] and helped to create such popular series as Happy Hooligan and The Katzenjammer Kids. [1] As "Bruno Lessing" his short stories chronicled life in the Jewish ghetto of New York City. [6] Between 1905 and 1909, many of these tales were published by Cosmopolitan, which at that time was a literary magazine. [7] During the years 1915 – 1916 he also wrote a number of screenplays depicting the Jewish American experience. [8]
Ambrose Bierce, another frequent contributor to Cosmopolitan, [9] mentioned Block in his satirical work The Devil's Dictionary, recounting the author's alleged encounter with a prominent critic. [10] A short poem by Bierce, titled "Rudolph Block", had no apparent connection to the man himself. [11]
An avid traveler, Block wrote about his experiences in the daily newspaper column "Vagabondia", which was published from 1928 through 1939. [12] [13] Along the way he amassed a collection of 1,400 walking sticks, although he himself walked unaided. [14] After his death, the collection of canes, each made from a unique type of wood, was donated to Yale University. [15]