Emma Lazarus
(1849–1887)

Emma Lazarus privately printed her first collection of poems at the age of 17. That volume, Poems and Translations, was soon made available to the public and came to the attention of the famed American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson was so impressed by the young poet's verse that he invited Lazarus to visit with him and his wife for a week at their home. Lazarus dedicated her second collection, Admetus and Other Poems, to Emerson and would continue to correspond with him throughout her life.

In the early 1880s, a turning point occurred in Lazarus's life and career when she learned of the rise of violent anti-Semitism in Russia and Germany. Appalled by the persecution of her people, she shifted the focus of her writing from traditional themes to defending Judaism. She also organized relief efforts for the thousands of immigrants who were fleeing Europe.

Lazarus would remain a leading activist and champion of the Jewish people for the rest of her life. In her most famous poem, "The New Colossus," Lazarus celebrates the idea of America as a refuge for all people who have been persecuted in other countries.

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