Delmore Schwartz was born on December 8, 1913 in Brooklyn, NY. He later attended the University of Wisconsin, New York University and Harvard University. Schwartz's many talents included writing poems and short stories, literary criticism, and being considered one of the most influential Jewish writers during World War II. He was an editor for the Partisan Review and The New Republic and a professor at many universities including Harvard and Syracuse. Schwartz wrote In Dreams Begin Responsibilities, a collection of his poems and short stories. His criticisms were collected in the book, The Imitation of Life. Delmore Schwartz died on July 11, 1966 in New York City.