This site continues to “Shelf Life”

Dear valued friends & visitors,

To consolidate efforts and time, “Authors Brief Biographies” blog has been merged with Books Shelf Life. New posts will be populated at Life Shelf.  This existing blog site, however, will remain available.

Thank you very much for understanding.

O. Henry

O. Henry (1862-1910)

American short-Story Writer

American writer O. Henry was regarded to have “humanized the short story.” Famous for his surprise endings, the public loved his works. One of his best known collections is The Four Million that includes “The Gift of the Magi.”

In recognition of his talent an award was set up in 1918 in his name. The O. Henry Award is given each year to the author of the best story printed in an American magazine.

Brief Biography of O. Henry

William Sidney Porter was the real name of American writer O. Henry. He was born on September 11, 1862 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Poorly educated and to make ends meet, he drifted from various odd jobs. In 1882, at the age of 20, he moved to Austin, Texas.

Read more…  American short-Story Writer O. Henry

E.T.A. Hoffmann

E.T.A. Hoffman (1776-1822)

German Novelist, Short-Story Writer, Composer, Music Critic, Jurist

E.T.A. Hoffmann was one of Germany’s most important authors belonging to the romantic literary movement. He wrote fantasy and horror and was best-known for Nighttime Tales.

Jacques Offenbach’s brilliant fictional opera The Tales of Hoffmann, made him very famous. In it, he was portrayed as a dreamy character.

Biography of E.T.A. Hoffmann in a Nutshell

E.T.A. Hoffmann was born Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, on January 24, 1776, in Königsberg, East Prussia. He came from a family of jurists, with his father, Christoph Ludwig Hoffman, being a barrister.

Read more… E.T.A. Hoffman brief biography

Works by E.T.A. Hoffmann:

• The Golden Pot, 1814
• On Beethoven’s Instrumental Music, 1813
• Fantasies, 1814-1815
• The Devil’s Elixir, 1815-1816
• Nighttime Tales, 1817
• Strange Sufferings of a Theatre Director, 1818
• Opinions of the Tomcat Murr, 1819-1821
• Little Sachs, called Cinnaber, 1819
• The Serapion Brothers, 1819-1821

Jack London

Jack London (1876-1916)

American Novelist and Short-Story Writer

Jack London, American novelist, short-story writer and realist, portrays in his novels the heroic struggle of men and animals against a hostile environment. He is best known for his books Call of the Wild, Sea Wolf and White Fang.

Life of Jack London in a Nutshell

Jack London (January 12, 1876-November 22, 1916) was born in San Francisco, London, but was raised in Oakland, California.

Read more —  Jack London

Books by Jack London

• The Son of the Wolf, 1900
• Cruise of the Dazzler, 1902
• Call of the Wild, 1903
• The People of the Abyss, 1903
• The Sea Wolf, 1904
• Tales of the Fish Patrol, 1905
• White Fang, 1906
• The Road, 1907
• Iron Heel, 1908
• Martin Eden, 1909
• Burning Daylight, 1910

Edna Ferber

Edna Ferber (1885-1968)

American Novelist, Short-Story Writer, Playwright

Ferber is the author of Show Boat, the title of her 1926 blockbuster classic novel. The book was turned into a popular musical that brought her much money she called “oil well.” She won the Pulitzer Prize for So Big, a year earlier in 1925.

Edna Ferber Life in a Nutshell

Edna Ferber was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan on August 15, 1885, into a Jewish family. She got a job on a local newspaper when she finished secondary school.

Read more — Edna Ferber Biography

Books by Edna Ferber

• Dawn O’Hara, 1911
• Roast Beef, Medium, 1913
• Emma McChesney and Co., 1915
• Fanny Herself, 1917
• So Big, 1924
• Show Boat, 1926
• Cimarron, 1930
• A Peculiar Treasure, 1939
• Saratoga Trunk, 1941
• Giant, 1952
• Ice Palace, 1958

Ralph Ellison

Ralph Waldo Ellison (1914-1994)

American Novelist, Short Story Writer, Essayist

Ralph Ellison is best known for his novel, Invisible Man, claimed to be where his reputation lies as a writer. This book provides a study of racism and its effect on a person’s identity. It became a classic of modern American literature.

Life of Ralph Ellison

Ralph Waldo Ellison was born on March 1, 1914, in Oklahoma City. He won a state scholarship and was educated at Tuskegee University.

Read more… Ralph Ellsion Biography

Books by Ralph Ellison

• Invisible Man, 1952
• Noble Savage I, 1960
• Shadow and Act, 1964
• Going to the Territory, 1986

Washington Irving

Washington Irving (1783-1859)

American Short-Story Writer and Essayist

Washington Irving became a famous author, best known for his humorous and satirical stories. He pioneered the establishment of short-story writing in American literature, and wrote history and biography in later years.

Early Life of Washington Irving

Washington Irving was born on April 3, 1783, in New York City, son of a wealthy merchant. He studied law privately but did not pursue it as a career although he practiced it briefly.

Read more — Washington Irving Biography

Books by Washington Irving

• A History of New York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty, 1809
• The Sketch Book, 1819-1820
• Bracebridge Hall, 1822
• Tales of a Traveller, 1824
• History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus, 1828
• Voyages and Discoveries of the Companions of Columbus, 1831
• The Crayon Miscellany, 1835
• The Adventures of Captain Bonneville, 1837
• Biography and Poetical Remains of the Late Margaret Miller Davidson, 1841
• George Washington (5 volumes), 1855-1859

Stephen Crane

Stephen Crane (1871-1900)

American Novelist, Short-Story Writer and Poet 

American novelist Stephen Crane is best known for his classic book The Red Badge of Courage. His use of realism in his stories immensely influenced future American writers.

The Early Years of Stephen Crane

Stephen Crane was born in Newark, New Jersey on November 1, 1871, the 14th child and the youngest, of a Methodist minister, Reverend Townley Crane, and Mary Helen Peck Crane.

Read more — Stephen Crane Biography

Works by Stephen Crane

• Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, 1893
• The Black Riders, 1895
• The Red Badge of Courage, 1895
• George’s Mother, 1896
• The Open Boat and Other Tales, 1898
• War is Kind, 1899
• Active Service, 1899
• Wounds in the Rain, 1900
• The O’Ruddy (completed by Robert Barr), 1903, published after he died