Janet Loxley Lewis (August 17, 1899 – December 1, 1998)[1][2] was an American novelist, poet, and librettist. She was considered one of the finest American literary figures of the 20th century.[3]
She wrote The Wife of Martin Guerre (1941) which is the tale of one man's deception and another's cowardice. Her first novel was The Invasion: A Narrative of Events Concerning the Johnston Family of St. Mary's (1932). Other prose works include The Trial of Soren Qvist (1947), The Ghost of Monsieur Scarron (1959), and the volume of short fiction, Good-bye, Son, and Other Stories (1946).[5]
Lewis was also a poet, and concentrated on imagery, rhythms, and lyricism to achieve her goal.[4] Among her works are The Indians in the Woods (1922), and the later collections Poems, 1924–1944 (1950), and Poems Old and New, 1918–1978 (1981).[5] She also collaborated with Alva Henderson, a composer for whom she wrote three libretti and several song texts.[6]
She married the American poet and critic Yvor Winters in 1926. Together they founded Gyroscope, a literary magazine that lasted from 1929 until 1931.[5]
The Swans, opera in three acts after the Brothers Grimm, music by Alva Henderson (1986)[8]
The Legend, opera after her novel The Invasion, music by Bain Murray[8]
Mulberry Street, opera after "The Room Across the Hall" by O. Henry, music by Alva Henderson (1988);[10] later incorporated as Act II of West of Washington Square[8]
