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H. L. Mencken
(1880—1956) American journalist and literary critic
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(1880–1956),
American journalist and critic, who as literary editor from 1908, then as co‐editor, 1914–23 (with G. J. Nathan), of The Smart Set exercised a great influence on American taste, upholding the iconoclasm of writers as diverse as G. B. Shaw, Ibsen, Nietzsche, Zola, and Mark Twain. In 1924 he founded with Nathan the American Mercury in which he continued to satirize and goad his countrymen.
Subjects: Literature
