Louise Varèse


Louise Varèse was an American writer, editor, and translator of French literature.

Early life and education

Varèse was born Louise McCutcheon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to John Lindsay McCutcheon and Mary Louise Taylor.
She attended Smith College, but left in the fall of 1911 to marry.

Career

A contributor to the Dada magazine The Blind Man, Varèse was a close friend of Marcel Duchamp and was involved in the 1917 submission of the urinal that became Fountain.
Varèse translated poetry and other works by Charles Baudelaire, Julien Gracq, Saint-John Perse, Marcel Proust, Arthur Rimbaud, Georges Simenon, and Stendhal. Her translations of the work of Arthur Rimbaud for James Laughlin's New Directions imprint were particularly influential. In 1956, she translated the section "The Great Improvisation" from Adam Mickiewicz's poetic drama Dziady.
In 1972, she published Varèse: A Looking-Glass Diary, a biography of Edgar Varèse.

Personal life

Her first husband was poet and literary editor Allen Norton, with whom she edited the magazine Rogue from 1915 to 1916. The couple had a son, Michael in 1912, separated in 1916, and divorced in 1920. Louise also had a granddaughter, Sylvia Calderwood.
In 1922 she married composer Edgard Varèse.

Death

Varèse died on July 1, 1989 at the age of 98 in Eugene, Oregon.

Awards

In 1948, Varèse was awarded the Award for her translation of Paris Spleen by Baudelaire.
She was awarded the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1969.
Varèse was awarded MacDowell fellowships from 1967 through 1975.