Dorothea Brande

Dorothea Brande (1892–1948) was an American writer and editor in New York City.

Biography

She was born in Chicago on 12 January 1892 as Alice Dorothea Alden Thompson. In 1916 she married fellow Chicago newspaper reporter Herbert Brande and divorced sometime before 1930.

She attended the University of Chicago, the Lewis Institute in Chicago (later merged with Armour Institute of Technology to become Illinois Institute of Technology), and the University of Michigan where she earned her Phi Beta Kappa.

Her book Becoming a Writer, published in 1934, is still in print and offers advice for beginning and sustaining any writing enterprise. It has been widely praised by many writers. She also wrote Wake Up and Live, published in 1936, which sold more than a million copies. It was used as the inspiration for the comedy film Wake Up and Live in 1937.

While she was serving as associate editor of The American Review in 1936, she married that journal's owner and editor, Seward Collins. Collins also served as the managing editor of The Bookman. Collins was a prominent literary figure in New York and a proponent of an American version of fascism.

Dorothea Collins (Dorothea Brande) died in Boston on 17 December 1948.

Selected works

Books

• "Becoming a Writer" (1934) - A guide for aspiring writers, offering practical advice and psychological insights into the creative process.
• [1]"Beauty Vanishes" (1935) - This is a poignant story that explores themes of fleeting beauty, identity, and the societal pressures on women. The narrative centers around a once beautiful woman, now past her prime, who grapples with the loss of her physical attractiveness.
• [2]"Most Beautiful Lady" (1935) - A novel exploring themes of beauty and human relationships.
• "Wake Up and Live!" (1936) - A self-help book encouraging readers to overcome their fears and live a more fulfilling life.
• [3]"Letters to Philippa" (1937) - A collection of letters offering insights into her thoughts on life and creativity.
• [4]'My Invincible Aunt" (1938) - This is a story that portrays the life and character of an elderly woman who embodies resilience, strength, and an indomitable spirit. The story highlights her unwavering determination and the impact she has on those around her.

Short stories

• The Smart Set 1916-01: Vol 48 Iss 1 - 'Eater of Souls' - (Note - Published under the name 'Dorothea Thompson')
• Smith's Magazine 1921-05: Vol 33 Iss 1- 'Values and Vivian by Dorothea Brande' (A Love story!)
• Smith's Magazine 1922-01: Vol 34 Iss 3 - 'Prince Too Charming by Dorothea Brande'

Articles, essays, and other media

• The New Republic 1917-09-22: Vol 12 Iss 151 - 'The Morale of Women by Dorothea Brande'
• The New Republic 1920-11-24: Vol 24 Iss 312 - 'Cinderella in Industry by Dorothea Brande'
• The New Republic 1922-06-14: Vol 31 Iss 393 - 'Working Women' by Dorothea Brande
• The Publishers Weekly 1922-09-16: Vol 102 Iss 12 - Dorothea Brande was a witness in a trial about book censorship in this year.
• New Masses Archive - August 1926 - 'Non-Intoxicating'
• The Bookman June–July 1932: Vol 75 Iss 3 - 'The New Novels - Review by Dorothea Brande'
• "Mr. Lewisohn Interprets America" - (1933) - was published in The American Review in December 1933. This essay explores the views of Ludwig Lewisohn, a significant literary figure of the time, and how he perceived American society and culture. The article is a critical examination of Lewisohn's interpretations and contributions to American literature and thought.
• The Bookman 1933-02: Vol 76 Iss 2 - Four Novels Reviewed by Dorothea Brande
• The bookman. Vol. LXXVI, no. 3, March 1933
• The Catholic Library World 1942-01: Vol 13 Iss 4 - References 'Brande, Dorothea. “Sigrid Undset and the Critics.” American Review 2:316. January, 1934.'
• The English Journal 1934-03: Vol 23 Iss 3 - Quote: "A comparable, if less convincing, effort at the deflation of the critics is made by Dorothea Brande in the December, 1933, American Review. In her article, “Mr. Lewisohn Interprets America...”
• The Nation 1934-06-13: Vol 138 Iss 3597 - Advert for 'Becoming a Writer'
• The Nation 1934-06-27: Vol 138 Iss 3599 - A Contemporary Review of Becoming A Writer
• The New Republic 1934-08-15: Vol 80 Iss 1028 - Contemporary review of 'Becoming a Writer'
• The American Observer 1935-05-20: Vol 4 Iss 36 - Contemporary review of 'Most Beautiful Lady by Dorothea Brande' - "Good detective story with a real plot."
• This book appendix indicates that Dylan Thomas reviewed 'Beauty Vanishes' in the Morning Post on 1st Nov 1935.
• The Washington Post 1936-02-28: Iss 21806 - Washington Post Review of 'Wake Up and Live'
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch 1936-04-02: Vol 88 Iss 210 - 'Want to Make More of your Life? Here is a Writer who believes people waste too much time' by Virginia Irwin
• The New Republic 1936-05-13: Vol 87 Iss 1119 - A Contemporary Review of Wake Up an Live
• Motion Picture Daily - 18 June 1936 - "Dorothea Brande has sold her nonfiction book, "Wake Up and Sing," to Twentieth Century-Fox for filming."
• The Commonweal 1936-07-24: Vol 24 Iss 13 - A Contemporary Review of Wake Up and Live
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch 1936-11-13: Vol 89 Iss 69 - 'Women Live up to a Part - Author of Wake Up and Live in St. Louis Gives More Formulas' by Virginia Irwin
• "Successfulness" (continues at page 95 here) - This was an article published in 'Cosmopolitan' magazine - 1st Nov 1936
• The Christian Century: A Journal of Religion 1936-12-09: Vol 53 Iss 50 - This journal indicates that Dorothea Brande was a speaker on Jan. 17 1937 at Ford Hall Forum, Boston.
• Mount Regis - 1937 - 'Home Economics Club' - "At the joint meeting of the New England and Massachusetts Home Economics Association in October, the club members had the pleasure of hearing Dorothea Brande, the author of the much discussed best seller, Wake Up and Live."
• "The Author & Journalist" (Feb 1937) - 'Wake Up and Write - An Interview with Dorothea Brande by Thelma Wiles'
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch 1937-06-19: Vol 89 Iss 287 - 'It's Easy Too Talk to Much By Dorothea Brande'
• Santa Ana Journal 1937-06-25 - "Another literary success of quicker arrival is Dorothea Brande. She did “Wake Up and Live” as a lecture several years ago more for a lark than anything else and to break her shyness over public speaking. It took on and she repeated it several times. Then she was asked to put it into a book. Five publishers turned it down before one accepted it. When it reached its 50,000 sale they gave her a $1,000 watch. The movies paid her $25,000 just to use the title. And any publisher would grab at anything she turns out."
• The Christian Science Monitor 1937-10-20: Vol 29 Iss 276 - "Dorothea Brande has been finishing up books since her recent return from Europe: “My Invincible Aunt” for Farrar and Rinehart, “Letters to a God-Daughter” for Sheed and Ward and a follow-up volume to “Becoming a Writer” for Harcourt Brace. She declares that She would rather do four books than one short story. At the moment she is starting a new course of lectures on writing which she will give in New York City and making ready for others in the field. Her real problem, she said wistfully, is what to do in her spare time. Knitting isn't the answer because she already includes that in her curriculum, finding it an excellent way of thinking out her writing." - NOTE - This is an interesting contemporary entry from 1937, as only 'My Invincible Aunt" seems to have been published?
• The Writer 1938-01: Vol 51 Iss 1 - Look at the adverts on the left (the 'How to Make Money By Writing' one) - They feature a contemporary quote from Dorothea Brande
• The Catholic Educational Review 1938-02: Vol 36 - Review of 'Letters to Philippa'
• The Sign 1938-03: Vol 17 Iss 8 - Review of 'Letters to Philippa'
• 'Success out of Failure by Helen R. Woodward' - The Writer - June 1939 - This article discusses how Helen R Woodward had attended a talk of Dorothea Brande. It talks about a lot of biographical details that Dorothea Brande recounts that are not talked about in other sources.
• 'Dear Mrs Brande..' - Some replies in April 1940 to an article titled 'Less Sweetness and Light, please' that Dorothea Brande had written for 'Registered Nurse' magazine in February 1940.
• Variety 1944-02-23: Vol 153 Iss 11 - Review of the film 'Wake Up and Live' starring Frank Sinatra - "Frank Sinatra was well cast as the crooner in “Wake Up and Live,” the Lux Radio Theatre play on CBS. The Voice made the most of his scattered singing opportunities, enhancing the rapid-tempo story that seemed curiously dated. The Dorothea Brande message (“Act as if it were impossible fo fail”) was given a fast gloss over in the picture version.."
• Various Articles for The American Review - Numerous articles written during her tenure as associate editor, often reflecting the political and social ideas of the time.

Other

• Influence of 'Becoming a Writer' on author Ray Bradbury
• A personal account of how Dorothea Brande had introduced an author to allow him to get his book published.
• AND this description from 'Poets & People by Charles Norman': "Dorothea was in her middle thirties when I met her. She looked like a heroine in a middle western novel — hair in a knot, but wisps of it blowing about, and more feminine than elegant in her choice of clothes. A few years later some disorder transformed her into a mountain of flesh; then, unable to move about, she stayed in her apartment overlooking the Queensborough Bridge, where she read manuscripts and worked on a book which turned out to be an enormous bestseller. It was called Wake Up and Live."
• Critical essays on Willa Cather - Review of Lucy Gayheart by Dorothea Brande
• Dorothea Brande writing about the Sentimentality of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men'
• Mentions of Dorothea Brande in correspondence
• Listing for Dorothea Brande that reads: "Staff Member, The American Review; formerly on Editorial Staff of The American Mercury."

External links

• Read 'Becoming a Writer' online at archive.org
• Read 'Wake Up and Live' online at archive.org
• 'Fascist Sympathies: On Dorothea Brande', The Nation, 13 August 2013
• Four part podcast series that explores 'Wake Up and Live' through the lens of Frank Sinatra. 1, 2, 3, 4
• Wake Up and Live 1937 Film
• What does 'Act as if it were impossible to fail' really mean?
• Correspondence - These "Papers of H.L. Mencken 1912-1949" includes correspondence from Mencken to Dorothea Brande.
• Quotes of Dorothea Brande
• Dorothea Brande at 'The Open Library'
• Dorothea Brande at 'The Internet Archive'