Benjamin De Casseres was an early 20th century critic of literature, theater, cinema, and society. Born on April 3, 1873, he was primarily active between 1902 and 1945, writing articles, columns, and essays for a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, and journals, mostly from his home in New York City. He also published several books of poetry, prose, and correspondence, and in his later years self-published a series of pamphlets on literature and politics, often mixing is love of the two into a single topic.

De Casseres spent the first 26 years of his life in Philadelphia, where he worked for the Philadelphia Press from about the age of 15. He started out as an assistant to the editor, and soon was writing (unsigned) editorial copy of his own. In 1899, De Casseres moved (probably in November) to New York, where he began working as a proofreader for The Sun, a New York daily broadsheet that rivaled the likes of The New York Times. Except for a short stint in Los Angeles, De Casseres remained in New York until he died on Dec. 7, 1945.

De Casseres Today

Today there is little, if any, primary scholarship interest in Benjamin De Casseres. When he is regarded by the academic community at all, De Casseres’ works are almost always looked to as a secondary source for studying other writers, such as Jack London, Eugene O’Neill, and others whom De Casseres knew personally.

This site aims to provide a home for republishing De Casseres’ writings, along with correspondence, accounts, and other materials related to his life and work.