Talk:J. Gordon Coogler

What the "J." stands for
Bryan Giemza gives Coogler's full name as "James Gordon Coogler." Contemporary sources call him "John Brown Gordon Coogler." At first I thought the latter might have been an attempt at mockery, especially considering 19th-century white southerners' views of John Brown. But there was a noted Confederate general named John Brown Gordon, and Coogler's birth during the American Civil War suggests it's highly plausible that he was named for him. This raises the question of why the poet was not "J.B. Gordon Coogler." But there is not enough information in available sources to resolve these contradictions, so I have mentioned both names ("James" and "John Brown") in the lead paragraph. — ℜob C. alias ᴀʟᴀʀoʙ 15:28, 22 December 2008 (UTC)

One of the footnotes in "Purely Original Verse" states that Coogler was not named at birth by his parents, but was allowed to choose his own name at fourteen; if this is true, and not merely invented for the sake of the poem on that page, one would expect him to have chosen some name that he would use in full, not reduced to its initial. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 136.160.250.253 (talk) 14:52, 4 August 2010 (UTC)

Coogler's understanding of his critics
Coogler quotes some of his reviews from various American and English magazines in "Purely Original Verse" -- he quotes them at great length, apparently not noticing the mockery beneath the fulsome praise. (And, yes, I know what "fulsome" means.) Was there ever any sign that the light finally dawned, that he ever understood or cared what the literati of the day thought of him? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 136.160.250.253 (talk) 14:54, 4 August 2010 (UTC)

Suppose that he did understand that the reviews were mocking him, but chose to reprint them anyway. — ℜob C. alias ᴀʟᴀʀoʙ 20:06, 23 September 2010 (UTC)

Rene or Irene?
In re this paragraph:

"In 1974, a Coogler revival was launched with the reprint of his collection of poems by Claude Henry Neuffer and Rene LaBorde in Columbia, S.C. There was a Coogler Festival in Blythewood, S.C., in 1983. Also, in 1985, Rene LaBorde published Coogler Revisited, a review of all things relating to J. Gordon Coogler."

I tried to verify these facts on Worldcat and found the title Coogler Revisited attributed to Irene Neuffer, not Rene Laborde. The book seems to be self-published, as the publisher is listed in Worldcat as Columbia, S.C. (4532 Meadowood Road, Columbia 29206) : Irene LaBorde Neuffer, 1985.

Someone seems to have either dropped the intitial "I" from "Irene" or added an "I" to the front of "Rene" or more probably "René".

I have questions as to the notability of this self-published work. Fortunately a library near me has a copy, so I will see what I can find out. — ℜob C. alias &Agrave;LAROB  22:38, 8 August 2013 (UTC)

Alleged biographical details
In seven years I have never made time to delve into Coogler's biography. I am removing some unsourced claims in the article until they can be verified with a reliable source. (As things stand, the article gives the false impression that these facts are found in the Giemza source.)


 * 1) He was born in Blythewood, South Carolina.
 * 2) His father died on January 8, 1878, when Coogler was 12 years old.
 * 3) He lived with his mother and two sisters.
 * 4) After finishing his schooling, he was an apprentice printer under the Rev. Sidi (?) Browne.
 * 5) Browne may have published something called (the) Christian Neighbor
 * 6) Coogler and his mother and sisters lived in Columbia, S.C. after 1880 at 1818 Marion Street.
 * 7) Coogler's printing shop was located at 1226 Lady Street and later at 1402 Main Street, Columbia, S.C.

They are very specific claims so may be useful to a verifying editor. -- ℜ ob C. alias ALAROB 15:08, 14 June 2020 (UTC)

See https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/86308083/sidi-hamet-browne for more details on Rev. Browne. 24.170.225.138 (talk) 17:12, 13 September 2022 (UTC)