Delmore Schwartz was born on December 8, 1913 in Brooklyn, New York. He later attended the University of Wisconsin, New York University and Harvard University. He was considered one of the most influential Jewish writers during World War II. He wrote poems, short stories, and literary criticism. His works include In Dreams Begin Responsibilities, The Imitation of Life, The World Is a Wedding, and Successful Love and Other Stories. In 1959, he received the Bollingen Prize for Summer Knowledge: New and Selected Poems. He was an editor for the Partisan Review and The New Republic. He also taught creative writing at several universities including Harvard University, Syracuse University, Princeton University and Kenyon College. He suffered from alcohol addiction and mental illness later in life. He died of a heart attack on July 11, 1966 at the age of 52.