Solon, Israel

Israel Solon was an American writer of fiction and critical prose and a follower of the teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff.

In the 1910s and 1920s, Solon was part of a literary and artistic community that included Margaret Anderson, Jane Heap, William Carlos Williams, Djuna Barnes, and other New York avant-garde figures. Solon contributed fiction and prose to modernist avant-garde magazines such as Broom (1922) and Double Dealer (1921), but most prominently to Margaret Anderson’s Little Review (1917-1919).

After the Little Review ceased publication, Solon continued to be associated with Jane Heap, a co-editor of Little Review. At this time and through the 1940s, Solon (like Heap) was an active follower of the Armenian mystic and dance teacher G.I. Gurdjieff. Solon participated in efforts to raise funds to bring Gurdjieff to the United States.

Solon was employed as executive secretary in the Women’s Garment Manufacturers Supply Association during the 1930s and 1940s.

He lived in Chicago, but relocated in the 1910s to New City and New York City, New York.

From the guide to the Solon, Israel. Collection, 1918-1940s, (Special Collections Research Center University of Chicago Library 1100 East 57th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.)