The Brewster Ladies’ Library Association is delighted to present Gerald Howard as he shares with us the influence of Malcolm Cowley through Mr. Howard’s recent publication The Insider: Malcolm Cowley and the Triumph of American Literature. 

At the beginning of the past century American literature was considered a minor body of work compared to European literature. By 1960 or so it had taken its rightful place as one of the world’s great literatures. Editor and critic Malcolm Cowley (1898-1989) was a consummate insider whose flawless taste and tactical skills were decisive in bringing long delayed honor to such writers as Faulkner, Hemingway, and Kerouac.