“My 88th birthday concert was a ‘knock out’ and now I am planning my 89th…”
Sonia H. Davis, Autobiographical Writings, Prose Fragments, 1.22b.
While March 15th marks the death of Howard Phillips Lovecraft, March 16th marks the birth of Sonia (Shafirkin) Haft Greene Lovecraft Davis. Over 140 years ago, Sonia Shafirkin was born and against all odds, (she was a premature baby), she lived a very long and fruitful life. While today is the perfect day to remember her, it is also an ideal day to reflect on the great feats which are happening today for Sonia.
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Certainly, great things are happening for Sonia. After a year and a half of studying and compiling her autobiographical writings, Sonia’s first ever full-length autobiography is in the final stages of preparation. It has only taken 50 years to finally see this day come to pass. No doubt there have been several scholars before me who had the intentions of seeing this project through, but with anything in life, things get put in the back burner and become forgotten. I feel very fortunate, especially today out of all the days, to reflect on this feat in making Sonia’s dream come true at last. She had wanted someone, other than herself, to advocate for her worth and achievements, to prove that she was more than just Lovecraft’s wife, and especially more than just an immigrant.
The autobiography is, indeed, coming along very nicely. The most recent accomplishment was another round of revisions on the manuscript which I completed at the beginning of this month. The next step will consist of several more editorial and proofreading passes to be sure the information is properly arranged, and grammatical errors are mended before facing publication. Once that’s all done with, the manuscript will be sent to the printer and if everything goes well with the time frame allotted for printing, we will hopefully be holding the physical book before the year is out. (Just please be patient if it’s not—delays do happen even in the best circumstances.) Not only is that news extremely exciting, but there’s still more to share.
Not long ago, the artist, Iberê Romani Braga, was commissioned to create an original frontispiece for the autobiography. The preliminary sketch of Sonia is everything we hoped and more. I can say with confidence, having already seen the final frontispiece, that you, the supporter, will appreciate the masterpiece once you’ve received the physical copy of the book. Until then, please enjoy this initial sketch for your viewing pleasure.
I can’t stress enough how thankful I am to have undertaken this project. Never did I think my wish would come true. A year and a half ago, I only imagined the possibility of bringing Sonia’s story to life, never thinking of it with real certainty. It was just another idea in my writer’s commonplace book. When I began researching the best methods to write a biography, one article suggested to write interview questions as though preparing to interview the person. I thought the idea was wonderful, but I never created the questions I would’ve asked Sonia. However, in that year and a half, while going through her autobiographical writings, I learned a lot about Sonia and all in her own words as though I’d spent day in and day out with her physical self. The reality is there was nothing I could’ve expertly written to express her life as beautifully as she did.
Above all, I am grateful for those who have taken my venture seriously enough to support it. It’s true, some may not consider Sonia to be as worthy as someone as Lovecraft to deserve any scholarly attention. Her own words may not even change their opinion, yet there will always be the faithful few who will see the value in her words and will enjoy these steps taken to bring her story to book form at last. Therefore, let us have some cake and celebrate!
It is no secret that Sonia first met H.P. Lovecraft at the National Amateur Press Association Boston Convention in 1921. Neither is it a secret that she wasn’t entirely a fan of his quirks.
“I first met him at the Boston Convention when the Amateur Journalits [sic] gathered there for this conclave, in 1921. I admired his personality but frankly, at first, not his person.”
The Private Life of Howard Phillips Lovecraft manuscript, p. 17, 1948.
However, what continues to remain a mystery is the precise details of their first introduction. There are several reports of who played cupid between the two, of who made it their mission to make their paths cross. You may read some of those particulars in this interview: Apropos of Sonia Greene. Well, Sonia had her own testimony on who introduced her to Lovecraft. Although she neglected to provide details, she maintained this statement consistently throughout her accounts surrounding her relationship with Lovecraft.
“And evenings the two men (Lovecraft and Samuel Loveman) would meet me and we would go to dinner and see a play, or sometimes have a conclave of “amateur” friends—James F. Morton Jr. (who had introduced me to Lovecraft)…”
Books at Brown, Vol. XI, Nos. 1 and 2, p. 4, February, 1949.
“This was a favorite spot of my good friend, the late James F. Morton whom I knew many years before I met H.P. In fact it was dear James who introduced me to that convention in 1921 where I met H.P.”
The Private Life of Howard Phillips Lovecraft manuscript, p. 31, 1948.
The events which transpired in Boston at the National Amateur Press Association Convention were thankfully recorded nearly in full, as far as I know, by two amateur journalists: George Julian Houtain and Edith Miniter, both of which shared insightful tidbits of both Lovecraft and of Sonia. According to Houtain, Sonia was amongst several others who accompanied him to Boston from New York on July 1, 1921:
“This time Rheinhart and I had company—our party aboard the Calvin Austin, which left New York at 5 p.m. included Ernest and Iva Dench, Albertus and Hazel Adams, Pearl Merritt, Sonia Greene and Dottie. We made Stateroom No. 190 our headquarters presided over by its occupants, Dottie and Sonia. It was a happy care-free party.”
The National Tribute, p. 13, August 1921.
Things were about to get even more fun, for Houtain thereafter discloses some very revealing details about Sonia. Certainly, this following excerpt would inevitably crown her the official vamp of the weekend.
“We are still guessing whether A . M. A. (Albertus M. Adams), because he permitted himself to be fed ginger-ale baby-fashion by Sonia, was a greater vamp than she. In any event, Albertus said that he had no option but to live up to his reputation, while Sonia insisted that the only way to measure up to Presidential standards was to get a ‘rep’— so she immediately started in to vamp all the boys by summoning the steward. This was neatly done, too. It only required the pressing of a little button set in the wall not more than a dozen feet from the floor. This she did with the point of her slipper, at the same time having it encase her dainty foot, the feat bringing forth resounding applause and putting to shame the best terpsichorean art of a Ziegfeld beauty.”
The National Tribute, p. 13, August 1921.
After enduring a storm while at sea, the group finally arrived at Boston the next day, July 2nd.
“We breakfasted aboard. Then in a drizzling rain, accompanied by Sonia, Dorothy, four suit-cases, two bags, one grip, a brief case, two rain-coats; three umbrellas, a hat box, a card index and a look of keen expectancy, I taxied to the Hotel Brunswick.”
The National Tribute, p. 14, August 1921.
Houtain thereafter reveals that James F. Morton Jr. was already at Boston upon their arrival. In fact, he had left New York one month earlier. Unfortunately, Houtain did not elaborate on the time when Lovecraft arrived at the convention. However, if James F. Morton Jr. did in fact introduced Sonia to Lovecraft, then it was very likely on July 2nd. Houtain goes on to relay a curious instance which occurred on July 3rd, involving Lovecraft and Sonia. This account describes one very specific photograph that has been the embodiment of Lovecraft and Sonia as a couple.
“The time will never be when I will the less enjoy the splendidness of Howard Lovecraft. He is a big man in every way. Much to my delight he has proven himself to be the most human of documents. He possesses a sense of humor that is astounding, because one would doubt he possessed the gift. He is also a man with a deep sense of honor and can always be trusted. He is a modest man and great was my joy when I arranged with our official vamp, Sonia Greene, to steal up on him suddenly, get a half-Nelson clutch on his august form so that I could Brownie No. 2A him—which I did. Then the fun that followed with Lovecraft burlesquing himself as a victim of a blackmailing gang and accusing Sonia and me of being in cohorts—which we were.
Finally a deal was patched up that the negative of the said picture is to be placed under a certain rock on the corner of Broadway and 42nd Street, New York City, July 4, 1922. If Lovecraft is there at ten o’clock P.M. it is to be his—otherwise (and this is the dire threat) it is to be published immediately following the New York convention. Woe be unto him if he doesn’t appear.”
The National Tribute, p. 18, August 1921.
It is very clear by this shared moment that Sonia was comfortably acquainted with Lovecraft. Perhaps by this given time, they had already partaken in several conversations. Of course, we can only speculate the length of time which had passed between the statement above and their introduction, and how well that first meeting went. We can safely assume, however, given by the account above, that it obviously went well in spite of Sonia’s reservations about Lovecraft’s “person”.
The interactions between the two did not stop there. On July 4th, the two were quite busy with the proceedings of the convention. Although at one point of the day, the two banded together, amongst others, to help raise funds for Mrs. Hayes lunch-room and afterwards they went for a hike.
“Along about one o’clock, Sonia and Lovecraft, Bill and friend-wife Lucie, Rheinhart and Gladys, Iva and hubby Ernest, Van and Sandusky, Dottie and I, helped to create more dividends for Mrs. Hayes lunch-room on Huntington Avenue and later the rest of them took a ‘hike’ along the Charles River.”
The National Tribute, p. 23, August 1921.
Were there other instances in which they did things together? Who knows, but we have plenty to be grateful to George Julian Houtain for including these precious moments that Lovecraft and Sonia shared together, because ultimately it was these little instances which would shape a relationship into a marriage. It is tidbits like these which bring additional shades to the portrait of Sonia H. Davis, who at the time of the convention was known as Mrs. Sonia H. Greene.
Rheinhart Kleiner, Sonia, H.P. LovecraftThis photo was cropped to only show Sonia, but in the original photo Ernest Dench and Elsie Houtain were standing next to Sonia. On the back of the original photograph it was written: “Sonia on right, a tall large woman—she had a millinery store—I bought a hat from her once $30.00.”
Whilst Houtain portrayed Sonia as the vamp, Edith Miniter’s account of Sonia at the convention was quite the opposite. As different as the reports are, they both paint a very realistic image of Sonia’s personality. She was both wildly fun and undoubtedly shy. She even reveals this much in her own autobiography. I shall, therefore, conclude this article with Edith’s touching remembrances of Sonia at the National Amateur Press Association Convention in 1921.
“Sometimes we missed the clever and interesting Mrs. Sonia Green [sic], but as she always explained that she was in her own room “absolutely absorbed in a book” we had to forgive her. At least I had to, the book being “Our Natupski Neighbors.” The same absorption explained (or I hope so) her getting lost whenever she went into the streets of Boston alone. Even when she departed from 20 Webster Street Saturday after the bean supper, with that book under her arm, she got lost. Said she was looking for a taxi—which was about as big a compliment to our part of Allston as asking change for $10 was to the coon.”
The Aftermath, p. 19, 1921.
“… Sonia Green [sic] had collected a few nickels as a blind and then presented the president-elect with a literal bucket of flowers…”
The Aftermath, p. 12, 1921.
“And one bewildered female may in Boston streets be seen A-seeking the convention halls—and that is Sonia Green [sic].”
For this Thanksgiving special, I will be focusing on Sonia’s short essay Columbus and Thanksgiving Day. The essay is only two pages long and in it, she discusses the legendry of Columbus and his ethnicity. Although Columbus was thought to be a Spaniard, due to his fluency in Spanish, it is rumored that he was secretly a Jew. (Times of Israel) For instance, his departure date, August 3, 1492, to the New World coincides with the date in which Jews were met with expulsion from Spain. On March 31, 1492, the order to expel Jews was issued, but the Jews had until the end of July to leave the country. (History)
Celso García de la Riega, a Spanish historian and author, made it his mission to prove Columbus was a Spanish Jew. In short, a Sephardic Jew. (Britannica) De la Riega held a public conference on the night of December 20, 1898, to share his research on the matter. The title of his presentation was Cristobal Colón Español?(Online Books) The documents that de la Riega presented, which he claimed to have found in Pontevedra in Galicia, contained the names of the Colón family and the Fonterossa family. By some means, de la Riega linked Columbus with the Colón family while his wife was linked with the Fonterossa family, whose ancestors were known to be Jewish.
Taking de la Riega’s research further, Maurice David wrote Who was “Columbus”? which provided additional “proof” consisting of photostatic reproductions of 40 letters written by Columbus. The book was published in 1933 by Research Publishing Company. According to Maurice David, the cryptic, triangular form of Columbus’s signature was deciphered into “an abbreviation of the ‘last confession’ of the Jews and also a substitute for the Kaddish.” Moreover, the obscure monogram at the top left corner of most of Columbus’s intimate letters was suggested by Maurice David that it was “nothing more nor less than an old Hebrew greeting”.
However, the article Columbus & the Jews by Jonathan D. Sarna takes all of these sources and presents a wholly different and adequate reality from trustworthy Jewish scholars, particularly from the scholarly research of Rabbi Meyer Kayserling. (Brandeis) At the request of the Spanish government on the 400th anniversary of America’s discovery, Kayserling wrote Christopher Columbus and the Participation of the Jews in the Spanish and Portuguese. (Jewish Virtual Library) It can be claimed with certainty, thanks to Kayserling’s research, that Jews played a role in the pilgrimages of Columbus. Luis Santángel, a third generation converso, was the Spanish treasurer who chiefly helped achieve the funds for Columbus’s expedition.
“Most important of all, Kayserling showed that Columbus’s reward was paid out of funds expropriated from Jews being expelled from Spain in 1492, and that the same source—not the Queen’s jewels, as popular myth had it, but her Jews—would defray the costs of his second voyage as well.”
Jonathan D. Sarna
His interpreter, Luis de Torres, had converted into Christianity, but was of a Jewish descent. Certainly, the possibility of other Jews having joined Columbus in his voyage is very likely, especially when Jews were seeking any opportunity to flee from the country that was openly torturing and/or banishing them.
Being a Sephardic Jew, Nathaniel A. Davis, Sonia’s third husband, was also fascinated with this topic. He wrote a play about Columbus, which has yet to be sent to me in its entirety by my proxy researcher. Thankfully, Sonia included a small sample of the play in her essay. Nathaniel also wrote the poem, Cristobal Colón. The poem was published in his volume of religious poetry, The Voice of the Prophet, and will be posted down below. Regrettably, Nathaniel and Sonia’s belief in Columbus as a Jew is not supported factually enough to be held as true, but their patriotism in the deep Jewish roots in America is not wrong.
Well, how does all of this tie into Thanksgiving? According to Maurice David’s book, he explained an incident surrounding Columbus and one of his voyagers, which involved the shooting of a “tuki” (Hebrew name for parrot, but perverted over time into turkey), thought to be a peacock at first. (Jewish Boston) Interestingly enough, Sonia takes this scenario and expounds on it in the form of a play. Unfortunately, it is only a fragment of the play. It is doubtful if the rest will ever be found.
The ancestry of Christopher Columbus shall always remain a mystery. That is, unless his birth certificate miraculous emerges and finally sheds the necessary light on the “Admiral of the Ocean Sea.” (Britannica) Nevertheless, we have many reasons to be grateful and even more reasons to celebrate on this special day. May grace and peace be with you and yours.
Cristobal Colón by Nathaniel A. Davis:
After leafing through The Voice of the Prophet, I found another poem dedicated to Columbus.
“…I had a cheap, paperback mimeographed copy of “The Faith, Hope, Tradition and Heritage of America” and a hard, brown covered, well printed copy of “The Voice of the Prophet”.
Sonia H. Davis, Two Hearts That Beat as One.
The Voice of the Prophet is a collection of poems by Dr. Nathaniel A. Davis based on the Jewish faith and traditions. Nathaniel was the third husband of Sonia, and genuinely the happiest marriage in comparison to her previous relationships. After Nathaniel’s passing in April 6, 1945, Sonia worked exceedingly hard to pay the debts she procured during his illness, and to save money to ultimately publish his poems. Unfortunately, when Sonia sought financial support from well-to-do individuals for her endeavor, she was met with rejection, and even in one instance, she was cruelly scammed by a publisher. Evidently, she persevered and was able to publish some of his poetry. Many of the poems she selected for publication were highly regarded by many persons from literary clubs, radio shows, and lectures.
It is unclear, however, the number of copies Sonia made of The Voice of the Prophet. I, myself, own two copies, one of which has the most importance to me. On August 25, 2021, I found Sonia’s personal copy of The Voice of the Prophet for sale online. I bought it, thinking it was too good to be true, and it was the best decision I made in that season of my life. When I finally received the copy several days later, I was so amazed by the book that I emailed the bookseller in gratitude and to ask for the backstory of how he managed to acquire such a book. He emailed me in return with this account:
My friend and book-mentor, Roy A. Squires—whom you may’ve heard of—was a friend of August Derleth.After years of corresponding, Derleth informed Squires that Sonia was retired at the senior care facility I mentioned.Squires wrote to Sonia, because of his own great interest in H.P. Lovecraft, and asked if he could visit her.Sonia was very suspect, as she’d been visited not long before by an HPL enthusiast, who’d stolen valuable memorabilia from her, and wrote to Derleth to inquire about Squires. Derleth told her that Squires was the most trustworthy of men, and not to worry.Squires visited Sonia on some occasions, especially on her birthdays.She enjoyed his company.
After her death, and Sonia being estranged for years from her daughter, left no heirs. Diana Lynn Lodge asked Squires if he would come and take away her last few belongings. Squires retrieved what little she had left. Among those belongings were a few copies of your Nathaniel Davis book.
Terence McVicker
And thus, after nearly 50 years, this “well printed copy” has reached me and inspired me to look deeper into the life of Sonia Haft Greene Lovecraft Davis. I’ve always had a secret inclination to write her biography, but to never publish it because I ignorantly believed no one would find it of interest. This particular volume of The Voice of the Prophet was a challenge to that secret inclination, and I took the leap of faith to unearth Sonia’s life, regardless of the future readership. It is because of this volume that the many, who have been waiting for decades for her autobiography, can now appreciate the remarkable life and character of Mrs. Sonia H. Davis.
The Papers of Sonia H. Davis 