Henry James was born on April 15, 1843 in
New York, USA. He was a famous novel writer and literary critic.
Biography and Career :
His father Henry James Senior was one of the most known intellectuals of America from half of XIXth Century. Some of his friends were writers like Emerson, Thoreau and Hawthorne.
In his youth the young Henry traveled a lot in Europe and studied with a lot of teachers in Geneve, London, Paris, Bologna, Bonn.
In 1862 for a short time attended classes of Law Collage from Harvard University but quitted because he preferred literature, especially English, American, French, German and Russian Classics.
In 1864 he published his first novella "A Tragedy of Errors".
Between 186
6-1869 he collaborated with Nation magazine.
He moved in
Paris in 1871 being the reporter of New York Tribune newspaper.
His first novel "Watch and Ward" was written after a journey to Venice in 1871. After this he moved in England, first in
London and after in Rye town, in Sussex.
In 1879 he published the novel "Daisy Miller" which was considered his first great work.
After two years was published The Portrait of A Lady".
In 1888 Henry published "Partial Portraits" which was a tribute for writers like Emerson, George Eliot and Turgheniev. The last one he considered as his maestro.
Between 1897-1903 he wrote "What Maisie Knew", "The Wings of the Dove" and "The Ambassadors" about which Henry thought it was his best writing.
In 1905 he had visited America for the first time after 20 years and with this occasion wrote "The Jolly Corner" inspired by his observations in New York City.
Between 1906-1910 Henry the publishing house Charles Scribner’s Sons published his complete writings.
In 1913 and 1914 he wrote two autobiographical works "A Small Boy and Others" and "Notes of a Son and Brother".
After USA refused in 1915 to fight in the First World War, Henry James asked and obtained British citizenship.
On the 28th of February 1916 he passed away in his mansion in Rye. Two novels "The Ivory Tower" and "The Sense of The Past" remained unfinished.
In 1917 was published post-mortem his third autobiographical volume "The Middle Years".
Important Works :
Watch and Ward (1871)
The Portrait of a Lady (1881)
The Bostonians (1886)
The Wings of the Dove (1902)
The Ambassadors (1903)
The Golden Bowl (1904)
The Whole Family (collaborative novel with eleven other authors, 1908)
The Outcry (1911)
The Ivory Tower (unfinished, published posthumously 1917)
The Sense of the Past (unfinished, published posthumously 1917)
Quotes :
- "A man who pretends to understand women is ad manners. For him to really to understand them is bad morals."
- "Experience is never limited, and it is never complete; it is an immense sensibility, a kind of huge spider-web of the finest silken threads suspended in the chamber of consciousness, and catching every air-borne particle in its tissue"
- "If I were to live my life over again, I would be an American. I would steep myself in America, I would know no other land."
Henry James Image : etext.library.adelaide.edu.au
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