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I am applying for this grant to assist in completing a large life and works study of the American composer-librettist, Marc Blitzstein (1905-1964), who wrote important stage and other works notable for their adventurous forms and probing social meanings. I have completed thirteen out of a projected twenty-two chapters. Thus far, I have done most of my work in Houston. An NEH fellowship would allow me time to take extended research trips to collections in New York, Washington, and Madison, and to complete my biography. The book should then be published in the following year or two. My hope is that this book will help revive interest in a composer who offers an intriguing and distinctive perspective on such issues as the artist's relation to the larger public; the relationship of high and low art in contemporary culture; and the artistic possibilities for American opera. As such, I believe this book a fitting candidate for the We the People initiative of the NEH.