James M. Nack

James M. Nack (January 4, 1809 – September 23, 1879) was a deaf American poet.

In 1809, Nack was born in New York City to a poor family. Unable to afford school, Nack was taught by his sister. Nack started reading at age four and was starting to write poetry at age 8. At age nine, Nack suffered a traumatic brain injury falling down a flight of stairs. After several weeks in a coma, Nack woke and was deaf.[1] Later Nack lost his speech as well.

Despite his diabilities, Nack continued to write. At age 12, he authored a play.[1]

Nack attended the The New York Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb in Manhattan from 1818 until 1823. One of Nack's poems, The Blue-Eyed Maid, got the attention of Abraham Asten, clerk of the city and county of New York. Asten gave Nack a job in the clerk's office where James became an assistant. Nack was able to spend long periods of time reading in Asten's personal library.[1]

In 1827, Nack published The Legend of the Rocks and Other Pieces, the first of several volumes of poetry. This may have been the first book published in the United States by a deaf man.[1] During this time, Nack also contributed poems to the New York Mirror.[2]

Nack wrote mainly about family life and his daughters. He also wrote translations in French, German, and Dutch.[2]

Nack married Martha W. Simon in 1838.

Principal Works

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Livi, Jude. "James M. Nack: dawn of another New-Year". Jude Livi's Blog. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  2. 1 2 Richards, Penny L. "January 4: James Nack (1809-1879)". Disability Studies: Temple U.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 4/6/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.