Shrifte earned her bachelor's degree from Barnard College in 1921. She then worked for The Musical Quarterly, a journal on music, and worked in a New York City bookstore.[1] In 1929 she joined Vanguard publishing; she became president, and publisher, of the company in 1952.[2][3] She remained president of the company until it was sold in 1988 to Random House.Shrifte was known for her work finding new authors, most notably her discovery of Saul Bellow, Dr. Seuss, and Joyce Carol Oates.[1] Her work with Oates extended over multiple years and Shrifte recognized 'genius' in Oates,[4]: 104, 169 and hosted parties to celebrate the release of books written by Oates.[4]: 162 Ultimately Oates left Vanguard for a different publisher despite her close relationship with Shrifte.[4]: 282–283
Shrifte died on August 8, 1999.[1]
