Mildred Jordan (March 18, 1901 – October 23, 1982) was an American writer and playwright. Born in Chicago, she worked at the Hull House [1] before relocating to Reading, Pennsylvania after her marriage. [2] Her first novel, One Red Rose Forever, which was based on the history of Lancaster County, was rejected by twenty-two publishers before finally appearing in 1941. [3] Her subsequent books often focused on the lives of Pennsylvania Dutch immigrants to America. [1] [4]
Public reaction to Jordan's work was mixed. While a 1954 review of her play The Wonderful Cornelia referred to her as "one of the nation's best-known novelists", [5] John Updike expressed a more ambivalent view of her talents several years later, dismissing her in a sentence as "an unmeetably rich industrialist's wife". [6]
In addition to her own writing, Jordan also served as the editor of the Berks County Historical Magazine. [4] She received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Albright College in 1979. [7]
Jordan was represented by the literary agent Annie Laurie Williams, [5] whose other clients included Margaret Mitchell, John Steinbeck, and Truman Capote. [8]
Mildred Jordan (March 18, 1901 – October 23, 1982) was an American writer and playwright. Born in Chicago, she worked at the Hull House [1] before relocating to Reading, Pennsylvania after her marriage. [2] Her first novel, One Red Rose Forever, which was based on the history of Lancaster County, was rejected by twenty-two publishers before finally appearing in 1941. [3] Her subsequent books often focused on the lives of Pennsylvania Dutch immigrants to America. [1] [4]
Public reaction to Jordan's work was mixed. While a 1954 review of her play The Wonderful Cornelia referred to her as "one of the nation's best-known novelists", [5] John Updike expressed a more ambivalent view of her talents several years later, dismissing her in a sentence as "an unmeetably rich industrialist's wife". [6]
In addition to her own writing, Jordan also served as the editor of the Berks County Historical Magazine. [4] She received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Albright College in 1979. [7]
Jordan was represented by the literary agent Annie Laurie Williams, [5] whose other clients included Margaret Mitchell, John Steinbeck, and Truman Capote. [8]