Emma Lazarus

Emma Lazarus
Emma Lazarus (1849–1887) was an American poet, writer, and activist, best known for her poem "The New Colossus," which is inscribed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. Born into a wealthy Jewish family in New York, she was an advocate for Jewish refugees and became deeply involved in the Zionist movement. Lazarus's poetry often explored themes of Jewish identity, social justice, and freedom, and her works include "Songs of a Semite" and "Admetus and Other Poems." Her legacy endures through her contribution to American literature and her iconic words welcoming immigrants to the United States.

Author's Books:


One hesitates to lift the veil and throw the light upon a life so hidden and a personality so withdrawn as that of Emma Lazarus; but while her memory is fresh, and the echo of her songs still lingers in these pages, we feel it a duty to call up her presence once more, and to note the traits that made it remarkable and worthy to shine out clearly before the world. Of dramatic episode or climax in her... more...

One hesitates to lift the veil and throw the light upon a life so hidden and a personality so withdrawn as that of Emma Lazarus; but while her memory is fresh, and the echo of her songs still lingers in these pages, we feel it a duty to call up her presence once more, and to note the traits that made it remarkable and worthy to shine out clearly before the world. Of dramatic episode or climax in her... more...