Stephen Crane

For other notable men with this name see: Stephen Crane (disambiguation).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Stephen Crane (November 1, 1871 – June 5, 1900) was an American writer. He was born in Newark, New Jersey, and began his career as a journalist, working, according to his own account, as a "slum reporter" in New York City. The experience provided him with important material for his first novel, '. Crane released the book under a pseudonym and paid for the publishing himself. It was not a commercial success, though it was praised by several critics of the time.

Related Topics:
November 1 - 1871 - June 5 - 1900 - American - Writer - Newark - New Jersey - Journalist - New York City - Novel - Pseudonym

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This was followed by The Red Badge of Courage (1895), a powerful tale of the American Civil War. The book won international acclaim for its realism and psychological depth in telling the story of a young soldier facing the horrors and triumphs of war for the first time. Crane never experienced battle personally, but conducted interviews with a number of veterans, some of whom may have suffered from what is now called post-traumatic stress disorder. Because his depiction of the psychological as well as military aspect of war was so accurate, he was hired by a number of newspapers as a correspondent during the Greco-Turkish (1897) and Spanish-American wars (1898). In 1896 the boat in which he accompanied an American expedition to Cuba was wrecked, leaving Crane adrift for fourteen days. A result of the incident was Crane's development of tuberculosis, which would eventually become fatal. He recounted these experiences in The Open Boat and Other Tales (1898). In 1897, Crane settled in England, where he befriended writers Joseph Conrad and Henry James. Shortly before his death, he released Whilomville Stories (1900), the most commercially successful of the twelve books he wrote. Crane died of tuberculosis, aged only 28, in Badenweiler, Germany.

Related Topics:
The Red Badge of Courage - 1895 - American Civil War - Post-traumatic stress disorder - 1897 - Spanish-American war - 1898 - 1896 - Cuba - Adrift - Tuberculosis - The Open Boat and Other Tales - England - Joseph Conrad - Henry James - Whilomville Stories - 1900 - Badenweiler - Germany

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~