Born in 1905, Rosey (Rosa) Eva Pool grew up in the Jewish quarter of Amsterdam. Raised by liberal-minded parents who preached against prejudice and in favour of tolerance, Pool developed an avid interest in African-American writing while training to be a teacher. A fan letter to Harlem Renaissance figure Counte Cullen (provoked by a chance reading of his poem 'Incident') mushroomed into frequent correspondence with various African-American poets in the 1920s. By the end of the decade, Pool was studying cultural anthropology in Berlin and completing a thesis entitled 'The Poetic Art of the North American Negro'.
After the Nazi Party took power in Germany, and their persecution of the Jews became increasingly overt, Pool began to speak out against the regime. By 1938 the situation had become too dangerous for her to remain. Before the year was out she had returned to Amsterdam where she taught English to refugees and Jewish children for several years. In May 1943 her family was interned in the Westerbork transit camp and within weeks her parents, her only brother, and his wife had died in Sobibor. In September the Westerbork officials allowed a small group of inmates to travel to Amsterdam to collect books for a projected library and Rosey made her escape. She remained in hiding in Baarn until the war's end, writing poetry inspired by her experiences of the camp, and, through the underground press, publishing poetry translations.
The end of the war marked a return to Amsterdam, and to teaching. A charismatic tutor, Pool became known for her recitals of black poetry. In the same period, she helped an old friend, Otto Frank, locate a publisher for his late daughter Anne's diary. Pool even worked on an English translation, but it was rejected by British publishers.
In 1953 Rosey moved to London to live with long-standing friend Isa Isenberg. Pool continued to publish anthologies and translations of African-American poetry, including two in 1958: Black and Unknown Bard and Ik Zag Hoe Zwart Ik Was ( I Saw How Black I Was ) . Her 1962 anthology of poems Beyond the Blues: New Poems by American Negroes showcased the work of, among others, Lloyd Addison, Tom Dent and Calvin C Hernton, all of whom went on to become influential figures in the Black Arts Movement several years later.
During her frequent visits to North America to lecture on poetry and organise creative writing workshops, Dr Pool made no secret of her hatred of racial segregation, pointedly eating from a lunchbox in a public place if no mixed restaurants could be found. In 1966 she sat on the pre-selection committee and the Grand Jury at the First World Festival of Black Arts.
Diagnosed with leukaemia in 1970, Pool responded well to treatment but suffered a fatal stroke the following year.
From the guide to the Rosey Pool Collection, 1945-1974; also some earlier published items., (University of Sussex Library)
