Thomas McGrath

Thomas McGrath (November 20, 1916-September 20, 1990) was raised on his family’s farm in North Dakota. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Dakota before serving in World War II. After the war, he attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. McGrath taught at several universities, and his refusal to appear before the House Un-American Activities Committee cost him his teaching position in Los Angeles. Later, he taught at Minnesota State University, Moorhead from 1969 until his retirement in 1983. He lived in Minneapolis until his death in 1990.

McGrath was primarily a poet but also wrote scripts, novels, and children’s books. Mostly, McGrath wrote about social issues and his own life. He is best known for his book-length poem, Letter to an Imaginary Friend. His writing style is compared to Walt Whitman. Critics complain that McGrath’s far left political leanings caused his poetry to be ignored by literary circles, but McGrath’s poetry has a dedicated following of its own. His many works include the poetry collection Death Song and the children’s book Clouds.