Waldo David Frank (1889–1967) was an American novelist, historian, literary critic, and political activist who emerged as a prominent intellectual figure during the interwar period. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, he contributed extensively to influential cultural and political magazines, including The New Yorker and The New Republic. Frank is best remembered for his extensive studies of Spanish and Latin American literature and culture, and his body of work is widely regarded as a vital intellectual bridge connecting the literary worlds of North and South America.\n\nBeyond his critical and historical writing, Frank was deeply engaged in the radical political movements that shaped the United States during the Great Depression. He was a key organizer among left-wing intellectuals, delivering the keynote address at the inaugural congress of the League of American Writers and subsequently serving as the organization's first chairman. His efforts during this time sought to merge literary expression with social and political activism.\n\nFrank's relationship with orthodox left-wing organizations was ultimately short-lived. In 1937, he formally broke with the Communist Party, USA due to disagreements over its treatment of the exiled Soviet leader Leon Trotsky. Frank had traveled to Mexico in January of 1937, where he met Trotsky in person, an encounter that solidified his opposition to the party's rigid doctrines and marked a significant turning point in his political and literary journey.
