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Henry
James (1843-1916), American-born writer, gifted with talents in
literature, psychology, and philosophy. James wrote 20
novels, 112
stories, 12 plays and a number of works of literary criticism.
Henry James was born on April 15, 1843 in New York City into a
wealthy
family. His father, Henry James Sr., was one of the
best-known
intellectuals in mid-nineteenth-century America. In his
youth James
traveled back and forth between Europe and America. He
studied with
tutors in Geneva, London, Paris, Bologna and Bonn. At the
age of 19 he
briefly attended Harvard Law School, but preferred reading
literature to
studying law. James published his first short story, "A
Tragedy of
Errors" two years later, and devoted himself to
literature. In 1866-69
and 1871-72 he was a contributor to the Nation and Atlantic
Monthly.
From an early age James had read the classics of English,
American,
French and German literature and Russian classics in
translation. His
first novel, Watch And Ward (1871), was written while he
was traveling
through Venice and Paris. After living in Paris, where he
was
contributor to the New York Tribune, James moved to
England, living
first in London and then in Rye, Sussex. During his first
years in
Europe James wrote novels that portrayed Americans living
abroad. In
1905 James visited America for the first time in twenty-five
years, and
wrote "Jolly Corner."
The outbreak of World War I was a shock for James and in 1915 he
became a British citizen as a declaration of loyalty to his
adopted country and in protest against the US's refusal to enter
the war. James suffered a stroke on December 2, 1915.
He died three months
later in Rye on February 28, 1916. |
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Live all you
can; it's a mistake not to. It doesn't so much matter what you do in
particular, so long as you have your life. If you haven't had that what have
you had?
Henry James
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