Meet the Author
William Dean Howells
American · 1837–1920 · Novelist and critic
The powerful editor who championed realism and helped decide which American voices got heard.
3 StoryBites Editions1 Short story
Why read William Dean Howells?
Howells believed fiction should show life as it actually is, ordinary people, ordinary choices, real moral consequences. As an influential editor he opened doors for writers like Twain and James. His own novels quietly dissect the ethics of a rising, money-minded America.
A life in six dates
- 1837Born in Martins Ferry, Ohio
- 1871Becomes editor of The Atlantic Monthly
- 1885Publishes The Rise of Silas Lapham
- 1890Publishes A Hazard of New Fortunes
- 1920Dies in New York City
Themes across the collection
The StoryBites Editions
Context that actually matters
American realismHe was its leading advocate, insisting fiction stay true to common life.
The editor's chairFrom The Atlantic he shaped the careers of a whole literary generation.
The Gilded AgeHis novels weigh the moral cost of America's new wealth and ambition.
Influence
Echoes of William Dean Howells run through Mark Twain, Henry James, Stephen Crane, among many others.