Is Irving Howe Living or Dead?

About Irving Howe

Irving Howe was a towering figure in American intellectual life, a historian, critic, and political activist who left an indelible mark on the culture of his time. Born in the Bronx in 1920, Howe grew up in a working-class Jewish family and was deeply influenced by the radical politics of the Depression era. He went on to become one of the most important voices of the New York Intellectuals, a group of writers and thinkers who shaped the cultural landscape of postwar America.

As a historian, Howe was known for his groundbreaking work on the labor movement and the Jewish immigrant experience. His book "World of Our Fathers" (1976) chronicled the lives of Jewish immigrants in New York City and became a classic of American social history. As a critic, Howe was equally influential, writing incisive essays on literature, politics, and culture for publications like Partisan Review and The New York Review of Books.

But it was as a political activist that Howe made his most lasting impact. He was a committed socialist and a vocal opponent of McCarthyism, and he played a key role in the civil rights and anti-war movements of the 1960s. He was also a founding member of the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee, which later became the Democratic Socialists of America.

Throughout his life, Howe remained a passionate advocate for social justice and a fierce critic of the status quo. He died in 1993, but his legacy lives on in the work of countless writers, activists, and scholars who continue to be inspired by his example.

References:

- "Irving Howe: A Life in the World of Ideas" by Michael Walzer (1998)

- "World of Our Fathers" by Irving Howe (1976)

- "Politics and the Intellectual: Conversations with Irving Howe" edited by John Rodden (2010)

About Death

He died in New York. According to the Sinai Hospital, the cause of death was cardiovascular disease.