Beatrice Kaufman

Beatrice Kaufman (born Bakrow), (January 20, 1895 – October 6, 1945) editor, writer and playwright.^[1]

Early life

Beatrice was born in Rochester, New York, USA in 1895. She was admitted to Wellesley College in 1913 but transferred to University of Rochester, continuing her studies in 1914 and 1915. She married George Simon Kaufman, a then inexperienced young journalist, on March 15, 1917.^[1]

Career

Editing

Beatrice started her career in 1918 as the assistant of the press agent for the Talmage sisters. (Natalie Talmadge, Constance Talmadge and Norma Talmadge) In 1920 she became the head of the editorial department at publishing company Boni & Liveright where she solicited and edited works by authors such as T.S. Eliot, Djuna Barnes, William Faulkner, e.e. cummings, John Steinbeck, George S. Kaufman, and Eugene O’Neill.^[1]

Writing

Beatrice wrote two plays; Divided by Three^[2](with Margaret Leech) and "The White-Haired Boy". She also wrote short stories, published in the New Yorker about living as a middle-class woman.^[1]

Later life and death

Beatrice Kaufman died in her Park Avenue home on October 6, 1945 after "a brief period of illness".^[3]

Famous Quotes

“I’ve been rich, and I’ve been poor. Rich is better.”^[4] This quote is often attributed to Sophie Tucker although there is no record of her using it.^[5]

References

1. Galchinsky, Michael. Professor of English at Georgia State University "Jewish Womens Archive, Beatrice Kaufman"
2. Internet Broadway Database "IBDB"
3. The New York Times. "Mrs. Beatrice Bakrow Kaufman, writer and editor, wife of George S. Kaufman, the playwright, died last night at her home, 410 Park Avenue, after a brief illness, in her fifty-first year.", The New York Times, NY, 7 October 1945.
4. Lyons, Leonard. “I’ve been rich, and I’ve been poor. Rich is better.” contributed to Beatrice Kaufman, The Washington Post, May 12, 1937.
5. Keyes, Ralph. “The Quote Verifier: Who Said What, Where, and When” (ISBN 9781429906173, Macmillan, 2006)