Mary Oppen

Mary Oppen (April 16, 1908 – June 14, 1990) was an American poet, artist, and political activist associated with the Objectivist poetry movement.

Born Mary Colby in Kalispell, Montana, she met and married poet George Oppen in 1927. Their relationship was central to their artistic and intellectual lives. The couple lived a peripatetic existence, traveling extensively and engaging in radical politics, including a period of working as machinists in New York City during the Great Depression. They also lived in France and Mexico.

During the 1930s, Mary Oppen contributed to the Objectivist journal Objectivist Anthology (1932). She also worked alongside George in organizing and supporting Communist political activities.

Following World War II, the Oppens lived in Mexico, where they were investigated by the FBI for their past political affiliations. They returned to the United States in the 1960s. After a long period of relative silence, both Mary and George Oppen resumed writing poetry.

Mary Oppen's own poetry, though less voluminous than her husband's, began to gain recognition in the later part of her life. Her published works include Meaning a Life (1978), a memoir and collection of poems, and Collected Poems (1982). Her work is characterized by its directness, emotional honesty, and a focus on personal experience. It often explores themes of love, loss, political engagement, and the complexities of human relationships. Mary Oppen provided significant emotional and practical support to George Oppen throughout his life and career and her contributions to his work, and to the Objectivist movement more broadly, are increasingly being recognized.