Emma Lazarus

Date of Birth: July 22, 1849

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Date of Death: November 19, 1887

Biography

Emma Lazarus was an American poet, writer, and activist born on July 22, 1849, in New York City. She is best known for her sonnet “The New Colossus,” which was written in 1883 to raise funds for the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. The poem’s famous lines, “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” have become an iconic symbol of America’s immigrant heritage and the nation’s values. Lazarus was born into a wealthy Sephardic Jewish family and received a privileged education. She began writing poetry at a young age, and her first collection, “Poems and Translations,” was published in 1867 when she was just 18 years old. Her work was well received by prominent literary figures of the time, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, who became her mentor. In addition to her poetry, Lazarus was an advocate for Jewish causes and was deeply affected by the persecution of Jews in Eastern Europe. She wrote essays and articles advocating for Jewish refugees and worked to help resettle them in the United States. Despite her early death at the age of 38, Emma Lazarus left a lasting legacy through her literary contributions and humanitarian efforts.

5 Interesting Facts about Emma Lazarus

1. Emma Lazarus was one of the first successful Jewish American authors.

2. Her poem “The New Colossus” was largely forgotten until it was rediscovered in the early 20th century and inscribed on a plaque in the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty in 1903.

3. She was fluent in several languages, including German, French, and Italian, and translated works from these languages into English.

4. Lazarus was an early advocate for a Jewish homeland in Palestine, predating the Zionist movement.

5. She was a close friend of the famous actress and writer Charlotte Cushman.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Emma Lazarus

1. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

2. “Until we are all free, we are none of us free.”

3. “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.”

4. “The particular article of faith which I feel most deeply and most constantly is the belief in the destiny of the Jewish race.”

5. “None of us can help the things life has done to us. They’re done before you realize it, and once they’re done they make you do other things, until at last everything comes between you and what you’d like to be, and you’ve lost your true self forever.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

Emma Lazarus came from a wealthy family, but specific details about her personal net worth are not widely documented. Her family’s wealth allowed her to focus on her literary and humanitarian efforts.