| Birth: | Apr. 15, 1843 | | Death: | Feb. 28, 1916 | 
Author, Playwright, Literary Critic. Born in New York City, he was the son of noted intellectual Henry James, Sr. and his writer wife Mary Robertson Walsh. During his childhood he spent time traveling with his parents to many of Europe's major cities getting his education from various tutors. From an early age he read and analyzed works of American and European Literature. He tried Harvard Law school, but decided that he preferred the study of Literature. He published his first work, a short story, in 1862, and then eventually became a regular contributor to Atlantic Monthly and several other well known literary journals. In 1871, he produced his first novel, "Watch and Ward". In the end he would write more than 22 novels, over a hundred novellas and short stories, several plays, and works of non-fiction. He was one of the major figures in Trans-Atlantic Literature which analyzed the interactions between Americans and those in Old World Europe. "Daisy Miller" (1871), "The Portrait of a Lady" (1881), "The Bostonians (1886), "The Wings of The Dove" (1902), "The Ambassadors" (1903), and "The Golden Bowl" (1904) are all examples of this type of literature. He also delved into the psychological dealing with themes involving the ambiguity of choice and the universality of guilt. His most famous short story "The Turn of the Screw" (1898) was outwardly a ghost story but is in fact an exploration into the secrets of a child. In his nonfiction work, he examined European travel, the works of "Hawthorn" (1879) and other novelists, French Poets, and visual art. He also wrote his autobiography. The area that he had the least amount of success was Theater. He wrote several plays, but most were not produced. James never married and his personal life seems to have been a question. He carried on affectionate relationships with both male and female friends but it was unknown exactly how they placed in his life. He was said to have been passionately attached to a male Danish artist, but how this relationship evolved is not really known. While born in America he developed a love for England and eventually became a citizen there around the time of World War I. He lived for a number of years in London then moved to a house near Rye in East Sussex called Lamb House. He ultimately died there of a stroke. He was the brother of diarist Alice James and the psychologist William James. (bio by: Catharine)
Search Amazon for Henry James | | | Burial:
Cambridge Cemetery
Cambridge
Middlesex County
Massachusetts, USA
Plot: Prospect Avenue, Lot 1222 |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Record added: Jan 01, 2001
Find A Grave Memorial# 538 |
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