Sherwood Anderson was an
American author who published a number of
novels in the first half of the
Twentieth Century. His most famous work, and one of the most
beautiful pieces of
American literature, is the
short story collection "
Winesburg, Ohio".
Anderson was born in 1876 in
Camden,
Ohio. He served in the
Spanish-American War. He was managing a
paint factory in
Ohio when he realized what his true
dream was. He consequently abandoned his job as well as his wife and 3 children, moved to
Chicago and became a
writer.
His first novel was "
Windy McPherson's Son", published in 1916. His second novel, "
Marching Men" (1917) was a study of the individual in conflict with
industrial society.
Anderson's collection of short stories, "
Winesburg, Ohio" (1919) offers a loosely connected series of stories describing
disillusioned small-town lives. While his first 2 novels were minor successes, he suddenly gained wide
recognition with "
Winesburg, Ohio". The
book is rightfully considered his
masterpiece and maybe one of the most beautiful short story collections in
American literature.
Other works by
Sherwood Anderson are:
- "
Poor White" (1920)
- "
The Triumph of the Egg" (1921)
- "
Many Marriages" (1923)
- "
Horses and Men" (1923)
- "
A Story Teller's Story" (1924)
- "
Dark Laughter" (1925)
- "
Death in the Woods" (1933)
Even though Anderson is now mostly
forgotten, he personally and indirectly influenced a
generation of young writers, including such greats as
Ernest Hemingway,
William Faulkner and
John Steinbeck.
Sherwood Anderson died in 1941.