The strange and inscrutable case of Ezra Pound

The expatriate American poet returned home in ignominy, and the postwar world watched as a literary giant was charged with treason

  • By Robert Wernick
  • Smithsonian magazine, December 1995

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    Fifty years ago, the Department of Justice in Washington prepared to open what was expected to be one of the most sensational trials in American history. The expatriate American poet, considered by many to be the most influential bard of the 20th century, was brought home in ignominy in the autumn of 1945. Pound had made radio broadcasts on behalf of Italy's Fascist regime throughout the war. In the end, Pound ended up being declared insane and committed to St. Elizabeths asylum for almost 13 years. Author Robert Wernick chronicles this strange and inscrutable interlude, and takes us on a compelling journey into the world of 20th-century letters.

    Fifty years ago, the Department of Justice in Washington prepared to open what was expected to be one of the most sensational trials in American history. The expatriate American poet, considered by many to be the most influential bard of the 20th century, was brought home in ignominy in the autumn of 1945. Pound had made radio broadcasts on behalf of Italy's Fascist regime throughout the war. In the end, Pound ended up being declared insane and committed to St. Elizabeths asylum for almost 13 years. Author Robert Wernick chronicles this strange and inscrutable interlude, and takes us on a compelling journey into the world of 20th-century letters.

     
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