Mears, Helen, November 9, 1979

Item — Box: 5 of 6

Dates

Creation: November 9, 1979

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to the public and must be used in the Special Collections reading room. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

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Additional Description

Biographical / Historical

Helen Mears (November 1, 1900 - 1989) was a writer born in New York City and grew up in Towanda, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Goucher College in 1922 with a degree in social sciences. Mears first traveled to Japan for a brief time in 1925, during a trip to China. She went back to Japan in 1935, which inspired her to write two books and a series of essays that appeared in The New Yorker. In 1946, Mears returned to Japan for the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) as a member of the U.S. labor advisory committee, which resulted in her more political writing regarding the relationship between Asia and the West. She continued to write through the 1960s, publishing articles on Vietnam and several books on Japan. Helen Mears passed away in New York City at the age of 89.