Allen Norton

Allen Norton was an American poet and literary editor known for his contributions to early 20th-century literature. Born into a family with a financial background, he attended Harvard University, where he honed his craft in poetry. In the 1910s, he co-edited the literary magazine Rogue with his wife, Louise Norton. This periodical, which ran from 1915 to 1916, became a platform for emerging voices, featuring works by notable contemporaries such as Wallace Stevens and Mina Loy. Norton's own poetry collection, Saloon Sonnets With Sunday Flutings, published in 1914, showcased his fin-de-siècle aestheticism, with poems that included 'Impressions of Oscar Wilde' and 'Modern Love and Mrs. Eddy: a Mask.' His work was recognized for reviving certain stylistic elements of the time, as noted by critic Alice Corbin Henderson. Despite his literary achievements, Norton's personal life was tumultuous, marked by two divorces and a series of relationships. He had a son, Michael, but his marriage to Louise ended in estrangement by 1917. In the 1920s, he married actress Adele Baker, which also concluded in divorce. In the later years of his life, he formed a relationship with Marion Phillip and relocated to Pennsylvania. However, his life took a mysterious turn when he disappeared in January 1945, with his remains being discovered years later in 1951, adding an enigmatic chapter to his legacy as a poet and editor.