Abe Meeropol
| Abel Meeropol | |
|---|---|
| Born |
February 14, 1903 New York City, New York. U.S. |
| Died | October 29, 1986 (aged 83) Longmeadow, Massachusetts. U.S. |
| Other names | Lewis Allan |
| Occupation | actor, song writer |
| Years active | 1944–86 |
| Known for | "Strange Fruit" "The House I Live In" |
| Spouse(s) | Anne Meeropol |
| Children |
Robert Meeropol Michael Meeropol |
Abel Meeropol (February 14, 1903 – October 29, 1986) was an American song-writer and poet whose works were published under his pseudonym, Lewis Allan. His best-known song is "Strange Fruit" (1937), especially as recorded by Billie Holiday. Meeropol was a member of the American Communist Party, but would later quit.
Meeropol was born in 1903 to Russian Jewish immigrants in The Bronx, New York City. Meeropol graduated from Dewitt Clinton in 1921; he earned a B.A. degree from City College of New York, and an M.A. from Harvard. He taught English at DeWitt Clinton for 17 years.
Meeropol wrote the anti-lynching poem "Strange Fruit" (1936), which was first published as "Bitter Fruit" in a Teachers Union publication. He later set it to music. The song's best-known recordings and performances were by Billie Holiday and Nina Simone. Billie Holiday claimed in Lady Sings the Blues that she co-wrote the music to the song with Meeropol and Sonny White, but Meeropol was the sole writer of both the lyrics and melody.
Meeropol wrote countless poems and songs, including the Frank Sinatra and Josh White hit "The House I Live In." He also wrote the libretto of Robert Kurka's opera The Good Soldier Schweik (1957), which was premiered in 1958 by the New York City Opera.
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