Laura Z. Hobson
| Laura Zametkin Hobson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Laura Kean Zametkin June 19, 1900 Manhattan, New York City |
| Died | February 28, 1986 (aged 85) New York Hospital Manhattan, New York City |
| Other names | Laura Mount |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Known for |
Gentleman's Agreement Consenting Adult |
| Spouse(s) | Thayer Hobson (m. 1930; div. 1935) |
| Children |
Michael Z. Hobson Christopher Z. Hobson |
| Parent(s) | Michael Zametkin Adella Kean |
Laura Zametkin Hobson (June 19, 1900 – February 28, 1986) was an American writer, best known for her novels Gentleman's Agreement (1947) and Consenting Adult (1975).
Laura Kean Zametkin was born on June 19, 1900 in Manhattan, New York City. Raised in Jamaica, Queens, she was the twin daughter of Russian Jewish immigrants Mikhail (Michael) Zametkin (c. 1861-1935) and Adella Kean Zametkin (c. 1863-1931), both of whom were Socialists. Michael Zametkin was a labor organizer as well as co-founder (and first editor) of The Jewish Daily Forward; Adella Zametkin was a columnist for the Yiddish newspaper Der Tog (The Day).
After graduating from Cornell University in 1921, Laura Zametkin held various jobs, including stints as an advertising copywriter and as a reporter for the New York Post. In 1934, she joined the promotional staff of Luce Publications (Time, Life, and Fortune), eventually becoming the first female director of promotion for Time. Hobson was, in fact, the first woman hired at Time in a non-secretarial capacity.
In 1932, Hobson's fiction appeared in print for the first time, when The New Yorker published "The Perfect Man" ("a sketch more than a story") under the by-line "Laura Mount." Three years later, she sold her first full-length story, "Hands Down," to Collier's. She signed the story (published as "Play Something Simple") with a new by-line, Laura Z. Hobson. It was the beginning of a prolific career: over the next fifty years, Hobson would publish hundreds of stories and articles.
After 1940, Hobson devoted herself to writing. In 1941, she was offered $5,000.00 to write a novel; the offer came from Richard Simon of the Simon & Schuster publishing house. Although she had never considered writing a novel, she eventually accepted the offer. The resulting book, The Trespassers, was the story of European refugees who are turned away from the United States during World War II, and was inspired by Hobson's own ultimately successful efforts during the war to obtain visas for a prominent European family. The book was published in 1943; reviews were mixed, but it was a modest best seller.
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