Category: Authors Index

William James Lampton was an American author best known for Yawps, and Other Things, a collection of 65 satirical poems, inspired perhaps by his cousin, legendary wit, Mark Twain. Its subtitle may give you some indication of his literary style: … Read the rest

William Dean Howells (1837 – 1920), considered “The Dean of American Letters,” was an American author and literary critic with a broad range of works appealing to young and old. His writing style favored naturalism, in which he related his … Read the rest

William D’Arcy Halley (1828 – 1890), an English born American author, was a Unitarian minister who penned the story of a caring nurseryman, John Chapman, who became a folk hero known as Johnny Appleseed. His story was published in Harper’s … Read the rest

William Cullen Bryant (1794 – 1878), celebrated American author who embraced Romanticism, was an accomplished poet and journalist who served as the longtime editor of the New York Evening Post. He was considered one of the New England “Fireside Poets” … Read the rest

William Carlos Williams (1883 – 1963) was a Puerto Rican-American physician and poet best known for his modernist and imagist poetry. He collaborated with painters and other writers throughout his career. Though he is best remembered for his poetry, Williams … Read the rest

The poet William Bulter Yeats (1865 – 1939) was a lion of English and Irish literature in the 20th century, awarded the Noble Prize in Literature in 1923. His recognition so soon after Ireland’s independence afforded him the opportunity to … Read the rest

Now considered one of the visionary figures of the Romantic Age, William Blake (1757 – 1827) was relatively unknown during his lifetime. He excelled in the visual and literary arts where he practiced as a poet and print maker and … Read the rest

Willa Sibert Cather (December 7, 1873 – April 24, 1947) was born in Back Creek Valley, Virginia on a small farm that had been in her family for six generations. In 1883, the Cather family moved to Nebraska, relocating to … Read the rest

William Wilkie Collins (1824 – 1889) was an English playwright, novelist and short story author, best known for The Woman in White (1858), No Name (1862) about illegitimacy, and The Moonstone (1868), considered the first modern English detective novel.
Collins … Read the rest

One of our great pleasures at American Literature is rediscovering “lost” writers. It is especially rewarding when we stumble upon writers that have produced a wonderful canon of work but never achieved the fame — and fortune — that should … Read the rest