Susan Sontag

@Political Activists, Facts and Childhood ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Susan Sontag is an American critical essayist, cultural analyst, novelist, political activist, filmmaker and playwright of international repute Bisexual Lesbians American Harvard University University Of California, Berkeley University Of Chicago Activists Political Activists Directors Writers Capricorn Celebrities Susan Sontag was an American literary figure who was known for her liberal thinking, which reflected in her works. Her words were always thought-provoking and engaging, often generating a lot of debate and earning her both praise and criticism in equal measure. She educated herself extensively in literature, philosophy and religion, and accumulated profound experiences by interacting with intellectuals from various fields. In her first work, ‘On Photography’, she displayed confidence and maturity far beyond her age. Over the years, she did a variety of works, but film criticism was her forte, as she established herself as one of the foremost influential critics of her time. Among her other numerous works, it was her laboriously compiled essays which brought out the aesthete inside her. In her later years, she went on to achieve mainstream commercial success with her two acclaimed novels ‘The Volcano Lover’ and ‘In America’. With a personality as bold as her writings, Sontag also became a vocal political activist against US’ war policies and visited the war-afflicted countries. Even after her demise, Susan continues to live on through her work and continues to be an inspiration to the young liberal thinkers around the world. She will always be remembered as someone who wasn’t afraid to call a spade a spade.

Personal Details

Birthday: January 16, 1933 Died on: December 28, 2004 Nationality: American Famous: Bisexual, Lesbians, Harvard University, University Of California, Berkeley, University Of Chicago, Activists, Political Activists, Directors, Writers Spouses: Philip Rieff Siblings: Judith Cohen Childrens: David Rieff Information Detail Birthday January 16, 1933 Died on December 28, 2004 Nationality American Famous Bisexual, Lesbians, Harvard University, University Of California, Berkeley, University Of Chicago, Activists, Political Activists, Directors, Writers Spouses Philip Rieff Siblings Judith Cohen Childrens David Rieff Universities Harvard University,University Of California, Berkeley,University Of Chicago University of Toronto Mississauga North Hollywood High School Harvard University University of Paris University of California Berkeley University of Chicago Notable Alumnis Harvard University University Of California Berkeley University Of Chicago Birth Place New York City Religion Jewish Gender Female Father Jack Rosenblatt Mother Mildred Sun Sign Capricorn Born in New York City Died at Age 71

New York City

Susan Sontag born at Unsplash Birth Place

At the University of California, Berkeley she met Philip Rieff, a sociology instructor who she married just ten days after meeting him. The same year, she gave birth to her son David Rieff. Unsplash Personal Life

Sontag realized that she is a bisexual when she was fifteen. Post her divorce to Philip Rieff, she was involved in numerous romantic relationships. Her partners included writer and model Harriet Sohmers Zwerling, playwright Mar�a Irene Forn�s, artist Jasper Johns and actress Nicole St�phane. Unsplash Personal Life

She was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 1976, but recovered after two and a half years of treatment. Unsplash Personal Life

Susan Sontag was born as Susan Rosenblatt to Mildred and Jack Rosenblatt in New York City. Her father, a fur-trader in China, died of tuberculosis when Susan was just five. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Sontag moved to Tucson, Arizona with her mother and sister where her mother married Nathan Sontag, a U.S. Army Captain. The family then moved to Los Angeles where Sontag studied in ‘North Hollywood High School’. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

She enrolled at the ‘University of California’, Berkeley but transferred to ‘University of Chicago’, where she undertook studies in philosophy, ancient history and literature. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1952, she taught English at the University of Connecticut for a year. She studied literature, philosophy and theology at Harvard University and earned two Master of Arts degrees in Philosophy and English. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

She was awarded a fellowship to St Anne's College, Oxford, where she studied for some time before transferring to ‘University of Paris’ in 1957. Her time in Paris provided her with extensive knowledge of French culture. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

From 1960 to 1964, she taught at City College, Sarah Lawrence College and in the religious studies department at Columbia University. Around this time she also started working on a novel. Unsplash Career

In 1963, she completed her first novel, ‘The Benefactor’, which is about a man’s interpretation of his disturbing dreams. Unsplash Career

In 1964, she published her first essay, ‘Notes on Camp’, which generated considerable debate and bought her a lot of attention. Unsplash Career

From 1966 to 1969, she was very prolific and published ‘Against Interpretation’, a collection of essays advocating sensory reception of art instead of scholastic, ‘Death Kit’, a novel censuring US participation in Vietnam War, ‘Trip to Hanoi’, a travelogue and ‘The Style of Radical Will’, another compilation that dealt with modern culture. Unsplash Career

She also built a good reputation as a film critic and in 1967 she was a part of the jury at the Venice and New York film festivals. Unsplash Career

‘On Photography’, a collection of essays which she wrote over a period of five years, is considered to be her masterpiece. The essays dwell upon the value of a photograph and also the significance of photographs in modern culture. Unsplash Major Works

Her 1999 award-winning novel ‘In America’ traces the life of a Polish actress and her entourage in California. The novel paints a colourful portrait of America as a nation on the verge of modernity. This novel has elements of Sontag’s earlier provocative writing too. Unsplash Major Works

Information	Detail
Birthday	January 16, 1933
Died on	December 28, 2004
Nationality	American
Famous	Bisexual, Lesbians, Harvard University, University Of California, Berkeley, University Of Chicago, Activists, Political Activists, Directors, Writers
Spouses	Philip Rieff
Siblings	Judith Cohen
Childrens	David Rieff
Universities	Harvard University,University Of California, Berkeley,University Of Chicago University of Toronto Mississauga North Hollywood High School Harvard University University of Paris University of California Berkeley University of Chicago
Notable Alumnis	Harvard University University Of California Berkeley University Of Chicago
Birth Place	New York City
Religion	Jewish
Gender	Female
Father	Jack Rosenblatt
Mother	Mildred
Sun Sign	Capricorn
Born in	New York City
Died at Age	71

Susan Sontag

American

Jan 16, 1933

Biography

Personal Details

New York City