American writers list of the most famous. Top American Writers

Instruction

Perhaps the first American writer who managed to acquire world fame, became a poet and, at the same time, the founder of the detective genre, Edgar Allan Poe. Being a deep mystic by nature, Poe was not at all like an American. Perhaps that is why his work, not finding followers in the writer's homeland, had a noticeable influence on European literature era of modernity.

great place US occupied adventure novels, which are based on the development of the continent and the relationship of the first settlers with the indigenous population. The largest representatives of this trend were James Fenimore Cooper, who wrote a lot and fascinatingly about the Indians and the clashes of American colonists with them, Mine Reed, whose novels masterfully combine love line and detective-adventure intrigue, and Jack London, who sang the courage and courage of the pioneers of the harsh lands of Canada and Alaska.

One of the most remarkable American 19th century is the outstanding satirist Mark Twain. His works such as "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" are read with equal interest by both young and adult readers.

Henry James lived in Europe for many years, but did not stop being an American writer. In his novels "Wings of the Dove", "The Golden Cup" and others, the writer showed naive and ingenuous Americans by nature, who often fall victim to the intrigues of insidious Europeans.

Of particular note in the American 19th century is the work of Harriet Beecher Stowe, whose anti-racist novel Uncle Tom's Cabin largely contributed to the liberation of blacks.

The first half of the 20th century could be called the American Renaissance. At this time, such wonderful authors as Theodore Dreiser, Francis Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway create their works. Dreiser's first novel, Sister Kerry, whose heroine achieves success at the cost of losing her best human qualities, at first seemed immoral to many. Based on crime chronicle The novel "An American Tragedy" turned into a story of the collapse of the "American Dream".

The works of the king of the Jazz Age (a term coined by himself) Francis Scott Fitzgerald are largely based on autobiographical motifs. First of all, this refers to the magnificent novel Tender is the Night, where the writer told the story of his difficult and painful relationship with his wife Zelda. The collapse of the "American dream" Fitzgerald showed in the famous novel "The Great Gatsby".

A tough and courageous perception of reality distinguishes creativity Nobel laureate Ernest Hemingway. Among the most outstanding works of the writer are the novels Farewell to Arms!, For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea.

1. Jerome Salinger - "The Catcher in the Rye"
A classic writer, a mystery writer, at the peak of his career, he announced his retirement from literature and settled away from worldly temptations in a remote American province. Salinger's only novel, The Catcher in the Rye, was a watershed in the history of world literature. Both the title of the novel and the name of its protagonist, Holden Caulfield, have become codes for many generations of young rebels.

2. Nell Harper Lee - "To Kill a Mockingbird"
The novel, first published in 1960, was a resounding success and immediately became a bestseller. This is not surprising: Harper Lee, having learned the lessons of Mark Twain, found her own style of narration, which allowed her to show the world of adults through the eyes of a child, without simplifying or impoverishing it. The novel was awarded one of the most prestigious US literature prizes - the Pulitzer Prize, and was printed in millions of copies. It has been translated into dozens of languages ​​around the world and continues to be reprinted to this day.

3. Jack Kerouac - "On the Road"
Jack Kerouac gave voice to a whole generation in literature, in his short life he managed to write about 20 books of prose and poetry and became the most famous and controversial author of his time. Some branded him as a subverter of the foundations, others considered him a classic modern culture, but all the beatniks and hipsters learned to write from his books - to write not what you know, but what you see, firmly believing that the world itself will reveal its nature. It was the novel "On the Road" that brought Kerouac worldwide fame and became a classic of American literature.

4. Francis Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
The best novel by American writer Francis Scott Fitzgerald, a poignant story of eternal dreams and human tragedy. According to the author himself, "the novel is about how illusions are wasted, which give the world such brilliance that, having experienced this magic, a person becomes indifferent to the concept of true and false." The dream, in whose captivity Jay Gatsby is, coming into direct contact with the ruthless reality, breaks and buries the hero who believed in it as the truth under its debris.

5. Margaret Mitchell - "Gone with the Wind"
The great saga of the American Civil War and the fate of the wayward and ready to go over the heads of Scarlett O'Hara was first published 70 years ago and has not become outdated to this day. Gone with the Wind is the only novel by Margaret Mitchell for which she, a writer, emancipe and advocate for women's rights, won a Pulitzer Prize. This book is about how the love of life is more important than love; then, when the spurt to survival is successfully completed, love becomes preferable, but without love of life, she also dies.

6. Ernest Hemingway - "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
Full of tragedy is the story of a young American who arrived in Spain, engulfed in civil war.
A brilliant and sad book about war and love, true courage and self-sacrifice, moral duty and the enduring value of human life.

7. Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451

The United States of America can rightly be proud of literary heritage, which was left by the best American writers. beautiful works continue to be created even now, however, for the most part they are fiction and mass literature, which does not carry any food for thought.

The best recognized and unrecognized American writers

Critics still debate whether fiction is beneficial to humans. Someone says that it develops imagination and a sense of grammar, and also broadens the horizon, and individual works can even change the worldview. Some people think it's only good for reading. scientific literature containing practical or factual information that can be used in Everyday life and develop not spiritually or morally, but materially and functionally. Therefore, American writers write in a huge number of the most different directions- America's literary "market" is as large as its cinema and pop scene are diverse.

Howard Phillips Lovecraft: master of the real nightmare

Since the American people are greedy for everything bright and unusual, the literary world of Howard Phillips Lovecraft turned out to be just to their taste. It was Lovecraft who gave the world stories about the mythical deity Cthulhu, who fell asleep at the bottom of the ocean millions of years ago and will wake up only when the time of the apocalypse comes. Lovecraft has a huge fan base around the world, and bands, songs, albums, books, and movies are named after him. The incredible world that the Master of Horrors created in his works never ceases to frighten even the most inveterate and experienced horror fans. Stephen King himself was inspired by Lovecraft's talent. Lovecraft created a whole pantheon of gods and frightened the world with terrible prophecies. When reading his works, the reader feels a completely inexplicable, incomprehensible and very powerful fear, although the author almost never directly describes what should be feared. The writer forces the reader's imagination to work in such a way that he himself presents the most terrible pictures, and this literally freezes the blood in the veins. Despite the highest writing skills and recognizable style, many American writers went unrecognized during their lifetime, and Howard Lovecraft was among them.

Master of monstrous descriptions - Stephen King

Inspired by the worlds created by Lovecraft, Stephen King has created a lot of great works, many of which have been filmed. Such American writers as Douglas Clegg, Jeffrey Deaver and many others bowed before his skill. Stephen King is still creating, although he has repeatedly admitted that because of his works, unpleasant supernatural things often happened to him. One of his most famous books with a short but loud title "It" excited millions. Critics complain that it is almost impossible to convey all the horror of his works in film adaptations, but brave directors are trying to do this to this day. King's books such as " The Dark Tower”, “Necessary things”, “Carrie”, “Dreamcatcher”. Stephen King not only knows how to create a forcing, tense atmosphere, but also offers the reader a lot of completely disgusting and detailed descriptions of dismembered bodies and other not-too-pleasant things.

Classic Fiction by Harry Harrison

American science fiction writer Harry Harrison is still very popular in quite wide circles. His style is light and the language uncomplicated and clear, qualities that make his writings suitable for readers of almost any age. Garrison's plots are extremely interesting, and the characters are original and interesting, so everyone can find a book to their liking. One of the most famous books Garrison's "Indomitable Planet" boasts a twisted plot, distinctive characters, good humor, and even a beautiful romance. This American science fiction writer made people think about the dangers of too much technological progress, and whether we really need space travel if we cannot yet cope with ourselves and our own planet. Harrison showed how you can create science fiction that will be understandable to both children and adults.

Max Barry and his books for the progressive consumer

Many modern American writers place their main bet on the consumer nature of man. On the shelves of bookstores today you can find a lot of fiction telling about the adventures of fashionable and stylish heroes in marketing, advertising and other big business. However, even among such books you can find real pearls. Max Barry's work sets the bar so high for modern authors that only truly original writers can jump it. His novel The Syrup concentrates on the history young man named Skat, who dreams of doing brilliant career in advertising. The ironic style, the apt use of strong language, and the stunning psychological pictures of the characters made the book a bestseller. "Syrup" got its own film adaptation, which did not become as popular as the book, but practically did not yield to it in quality, since Max Barry himself helped the screenwriters work on the film.

Robert Heinlein: a fierce critic of public relations

Until now, there are disputes about which writers can be considered modern. Critics believe that they can also be attributed to their category, and after all, modern American writers should write in a language that would be understandable to today's person and would be interesting to him. Heinlein coped with this task one hundred percent. His satirical-philosophical novel Passing the Valley of the Shadow of Death shows all the problems of our society using a very original plot device. The main character is an elderly man whose brain was transplanted into the body of his young and very beautiful secretary. A lot of time in the novel is devoted to the themes of free love, gay and lawlessness in the name of money. We can say that the book "Passing the Valley of the Shadow of Death" is a very harsh, but at the same time extremely talented satire that exposes modern American society.

and food for hungry young minds

American classical writers concentrated most of all on philosophical, significant issues and directly on the design of their works, and further demand was of little interest to them. In modern literature published after 2000, it is difficult to find something truly deep and original, since all the topics have already been skillfully revealed by the classics. This is seen in the books of the Hunger Games series, written by the young writer Susan Collins. Many thoughtful readers doubt that these books deserve any attention, as they are nothing more than a parody of real literature. First of all, in the Hunger Games series, designed for young readers, the theme is love triangle, set off by the pre-war state of the country and the general atmosphere of the most severe totalitarianism. Screen adaptations of Suzanne Collins' novels hit the box office, and the actors who played the leading characters in them became famous all over the world. Skeptics about this book say that it is better for young people to read at least this than not to read at all.

Frank Norris and his for the common people

Some famous American writers are practically unknown to any far from classical literary world to the reader. This can be said, for example, about the work of Frank Norris, who did not stop from creating the amazing work "Octopus". The realities of this work are far from the interests of a Russian person, but Norris' unique writing style invariably attracts lovers of good literature. When we think of American farmers, we always imagine smiling, happy, and tanned people with expressions of gratitude and humility on their faces. Frank Norris showed real life these people without embellishing it. In the novel "The Octopus" there is no hint of the spirit of American chauvinism. American loved to talk about life ordinary people and Norris was no exception. It seems that the issue of social injustice and insufficient pay for hard work will worry people of all nationalities in any historical time.

Francis Fitzgerald and his reprimand to unlucky Americans

The great American writer Francis has found a "second popularity" after the release of the recent film adaptation of his excellent novel "The Great Gatsby". The film made the youth read the classics of American literature, and the performer leading role Leonardo DiCaprio was predicted to win an Oscar, but as always, he didn't get it. The Great Gatsby is a very small novel that vividly illustrates the perverted American morality, masterfully showing the cheap human inside. The novel teaches that friends cannot be bought, just as love cannot be bought. The protagonist novel, narrator Nick Carraway describes the whole situation from his point of view, which gives the whole plot a spice and a little ambiguity. All the characters are very original and perfectly illustrate not only the American society of that time, but also our current realities, as people will never stop hunting for material wealth, despising spiritual depth.

Both poet and prose writer

The poets and writers of America have always been remarkable for their amazing versatility. If today authors can create only prose or only poetry, then in the past such preference was considered almost bad taste. For example, the aforementioned Howard Phyllit Lovecraft, in addition to amazing creepy stories, also wrote poetry. It is especially interesting that his poems were much brighter and more positive than prose, although they provide no less food for thought. Lovecraft's inspirational genius, Edgar Allan Poe, also created great poems. Unlike Lovecraft, Poe did this much more often and much better, so some of his poems are heard today. The poems of Edgar Allan Poe contained not only amazing metaphors and mystical allegories, but also had philosophical overtones. Who knows, perhaps the modern master of the horror genre, Stephen King, will also sooner or later hit poetry, tired of complex sentences.

Theodore Dreiser and "An American Tragedy"

The life of ordinary people and the rich was described by many classical authors: Francis Scott Fitzgerald, Bernard Shaw, O'Henry. The American writer Theodore Dreiser also went down this path, placing more emphasis on the psychologism of the characters than directly on the description. domestic problems. His novel An American Tragedy brilliantly introduced the world to a prime example which collapses due to the wrong moral choice and the vanity of the protagonist. The reader, oddly enough, does not at all feel sympathy for this character, because only a real villain, who causes nothing but contempt and hatred, can violate all societies so indifferently. In this guy, Theodore Dreiser embodied those people who want to break out of the shackles of a society that is contrary to them at any cost. However, is this high society so good that you can kill an innocent person for it?

In contact with

Despite the relatively short story American literature has made an invaluable contribution to world culture. Although already in the 19th century all of Europe was reading gloomy detective stories Edgar Poe and the beautiful historical poems of Henry Longfellow, these were only the first steps; It was in the 20th century that American literature flourished. Against the backdrop of the Great Depression, two world wars and the struggle against racial discrimination in America, classics of world literature, Nobel Prize winners, writers are born who characterize an entire era with their works.

The radical economic and social changes in American life in the 1920s and 1930s provided the perfect breeding ground for realism, which reflected the desire to capture the new realities of America. Now, along with books whose purpose was to entertain the reader and make him forget about the surrounding social problems, works appear on the shelves that clearly show the need to change the existing social order. The work of the realists was distinguished by great interest in various kinds of social conflicts, attacks on socially accepted values ​​and criticism of the American way of life.

Among the most prominent realists were Theodore Dreiser, Francis Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway. In their immortal works they reflected the true life of America, sympathized with the tragic fate of young Americans who went through the first world war, supported the struggle against fascism, spoke openly in defense of the workers and did not hesitate to portray the depravity and spiritual emptiness of American society.

THEODORE DREISER

(1871-1945)

Theodore Dreiser was born in a small town in Indiana to a bankrupt small business owner. Writer from childhood he knew hunger, poverty and need, which was later reflected in the themes of his works, as well as in a brilliant description of the life of the ordinary working class. His father was a strict Catholic, limited and despotic, which made Dreiser hate religion till the end of one's days.

At the age of sixteen, Dreiser had to leave school and work part-time in order to somehow earn his living. Later, he was still enrolled in the university, but he could only study there for a year, again because of money problems. In 1892, Dreiser began working as a reporter for various newspapers, and eventually moved to New York, where he became editor of the magazine.

His first significant work is the novel "Sister Kerry"- comes out in 1900. Dreiser describes close to his own life the story of a poor country girl who goes to Chicago in search of work. As soon as the book barely made it to print, it immediately was called contrary to morality and withdrawn from sale. Seven years later, when it became too difficult to hide the work from the public, the novel nevertheless appeared on store shelves. Writer's second book "Jenny Gerhard" published in 1911 was also crushed by critics.

Further, Dreiser begins to write a cycle of novels "Trilogy of Desires": "Financier" (1912), "Titanium"(1914) and unfinished novel "Stoic"(1947). Its purpose was to show how late XIX century in America is being "big business".

In 1915, a semi-autobiographical novel was published. "Genius", in which Dreiser describes the tragic fate of a young artist whose life was broken by the cruel injustice of American society. Myself the writer considered the novel his own the best work , but critics and readers greeted the book negatively and it is practically not for sale.

most famous work Dreiser is an immortal romance "American tragedy"(1925). This is a story about a young American who is corrupted by the false morals of the United States, which leads him to become a criminal and a murderer. novel reflects american lifestyle, in which the poverty of workers from the outskirts stands out against the backdrop of the wealth of the privileged class.

In 1927, Dreiser visited the USSR and published a book the following year. "Dreiser looks at Russia", which became one of the first books about the Soviet Union, published by a writer from America.

Dreiser also supported the movement of the American working class and wrote several non-fiction works on this topic - "Tragic America"(1931) and "America Worth Saving"(1941). With tireless strength and the skill of a true realist, he depicted the social order around him. However, despite how harsh the world appeared before his eyes, the writer never did not lose faith to the dignity and greatness of man and his beloved country.

Apart from critical realism, Dreiser worked in the genre naturalism. He scrupulously depicted seemingly insignificant details of the everyday life of his heroes, cited real documents, sometimes very long in size, clearly described actions related to business, etc. Because of this style of writing, criticism is often accused Dreiser in the absence of style and fantasy. By the way, despite such condemnations, Dreiser was a candidate for the Nobel Prize in 1930, so you yourself can judge their veracity.

I do not argue, maybe sometimes an abundance small parts confusing, but it is their ubiquitous presence that allows the reader to most clearly imagine the action and, as it were, become a direct participant in it. The writer's novels are large in size and can be quite difficult to read, but they are undoubtedly masterpieces american literature, worth spending time on. It is highly recommended to fans of Dostoevsky's work, who will certainly be able to appreciate Dreiser's talent.

Francis Scott Fitzgerald

(1896-1940)

Francis Scott Fitzgerald is one of America's most famous writers. lost generation(these are young people called to the front, sometimes not yet finished school and started killing early; after the war they often could not adapt to peaceful life, drank themselves, committed suicide, some went crazy). They were devastated people who had no strength left to fight the corrupt world of wealth. They try to fill their spiritual emptiness with endless pleasures and entertainment.

The writer was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in a wealthy family, so he got the opportunity to study in prestigious Princeton University. At that time, the university was dominated by a competitive spirit, under the influence of which Fitzgerald also fell. He tried with all his might to become a member of the most fashionable and famous clubs, which attracted with their atmosphere of sophistication and aristocracy. Money for the writer was synonymous with independence, privilege, style and beauty, and poverty was associated with avarice and narrow-mindedness. Later Fitzgerald realized the falsity of their views.

He never finished his studies at Princeton, but it was there that his literary career (he wrote for the university magazine). In 1917, the writer volunteered for the army, but he never took part in real military operations in Europe. At the same time he falls in love with Zelda Sayre who came from a wealthy family. They married only in 1920, two years later, after the resounding success of Fitzgerald's first serious work. "On the Other Side of Paradise" because Zelda didn't want to marry a poor unknown man. The fact that beautiful girls are attracted only by wealth made the writer think about social injustice, and Zelda was later often called the prototype of the heroines his novels.

Fitzgerald's wealth grows in direct proportion to the popularity of his novel, and soon the spouses become epitome of luxury lifestyle they even came to be called the king and queen of their generation. They lived chic and ostentatious, enjoying a fashionable life in Paris, expensive rooms in prestigious hotels, endless parties and receptions. They constantly threw out various eccentric antics, scandals and became addicted to alcohol, and Fitzgerald even began to write articles for glossy magazines of that time. All this is undoubtedly destroyed the talent of the writer, although even then he managed to write several serious novels and stories.

His major novels appeared between 1920 and 1934: "On the Other Side of Paradise" (1920), "The Beautiful and the Damned" (1922), "The Great Gatsby", which is the writer's most famous work and is considered a masterpiece of American literature, and "Night is tender" (1934).

The Best Fitzgerald Stories Included in Collections "Tales of the Jazz Age"(1922) and "All those sad young people" (1926).

Shortly before his death, in an autobiographical article, Fitzgerald compared himself to broken plate. He died of a heart attack on December 21, 1940 in Hollywood.

The main theme of almost all of Fitzgerald's works was the corrupting power of money, which leads to spiritual decay. He considered the rich to be a special class, and only over time began to realize that it was based on inhumanity, his own uselessness and lack of morality. He realized this along with his characters, who were mostly autobiographical characters.

Fitzgerald's novels are written in beautiful language, understandable and refined at the same time, so the reader can hardly tear himself away from his books. Although after reading the works of Fitzgerald, despite the amazing imagination a journey into the luxurious Jazz Age, there remains a feeling of emptiness and futility of being, he is rightfully considered one of the most prominent writers of the 20th century.

WILLIAM FAULKNER

(1897-1962)

William Cuthbert Faulkner is one of the leading novelists of the mid-twentieth century, in New Albany, Mississippi, in an impoverished aristocratic family. He studied at Oxford when the First World War began. The experience of the writer, received at this time, played an important role in shaping his character. He entered military flight school, but the war ended before he could complete the course. After that, Faulkner returned to Oxford and worked head of the post office at the University of Mississippi. At the same time, he began taking courses at the university and trying to write.

His first published book, a collection of poems "Marble Faun"(1924), was not successful. In 1925, Faulkner met the writer Sherwood Anderson which had a great influence on his work. He recommended Faulkner engage in poetry, prose, and gave advice to write about American South, about the place Faulkner grew up in and knows best. It is in Mississippi, namely in the fictional district Yoknapatofa most of his novels will take place.

In 1926 Faulkner wrote the novel "Soldier Award" who was congenial lost generation. The writer showed tragedy of people who returned to civilian life crippled both physically and mentally. The novel was also not a great success, but Faulkner was recognized as an inventive writer.

From 1925 to 1929 he worked carpenter and painter and successfully combines this with writing work.

In 1927, the novel "Mosquitoes" and in 1929 - "Sartoris". In the same year, Faulkner published the novel "Sound and Fury" which brings him fame in literary circles. After that, he decides to devote all his time to writing. His work "Sanctuary"(1931), a story about violence and murder, became a sensation and the author finally gained financial independence.

In the 1930s, Faulner wrote several gothic novels: "When I was dying"(1930), "Light in August"(1932) and "Absalom, Absalom!"(1936).

In 1942, the writer publishes a collection of short stories "Come down, Moses", which includes one of its famous works- story "Bear".In 1948 Faulkner writes "The Defiler of Ashes", one of the most important social novels associated with racism.

In the 40s and 50s, his best work, a trilogy of novels, was published. "Village", "City" and "Mansion" dedicated the tragic fate of the aristocracy of the American South. Faulkner's last novel "The Kidnappers" coming out in 1962, it also enters the Yoknapatof saga and depicts the story of the beautiful but dying South. For this novel, and for "Parable"(1954), whose themes are humanity and war, Faulkner received Pulitzer Prizes. In 1949, the writer was awarded "for significant and with artistic point view of a unique contribution to the development of the modern American novel".

William Faulkner was one of the most important writers of his time. He belonged to Southern School of American Writers. In his writings, he turned to the history of the American South, especially during the Civil War.

In his books, he tried to deal with racism, knowing full well that it is not so much social as psychological. Faulkner saw African Americans and whites as inextricably linked to each other by a common history. He condemned racism and cruelty, but was sure that both whites and African Americans were not ready for legislative action, so Faulkner mainly criticized moral side question.

Faulkner was proficient with the pen, although he often claimed to have little interest in writing technique. He was a bold experimenter and had an original style. He wrote psychological novels, in which great attention was paid to the replicas of the characters, for example, the novel "When I was dying" built like a chain of characters' monologues, sometimes long, sometimes one or two sentences. Faulkner fearlessly combined opposing epithets to great effect, and his writings often have ambiguous, indefinite endings. Of course, Faulkner knew how to write in such a way that excite the soul even the pickiest reader.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY

(1899-1961)

Ernest Hemingway - one of the most widely read writers of the 20th century. He is a classic of American and world literature.

He was born in Oak Park, Illinois, the son of a provincial doctor. His father was fond of hunting and fishing, he taught his son shoot and fish and also instilled a love for sports and nature. Ernest's mother was a religious woman who was entirely devoted to the affairs of the church. On the basis of different views on life, quarrels often broke out between the writer's parents, because of which Hemingway couldn't feel at home.

Ernest's favorite place was a house in northern Michigan, where the family usually spent their summers. The boy always accompanied his father on various trips to the forest or fishing.

Ernest's school gifted, energetic, successful student and excellent athlete. He played football, was a member of the swim team and boxed. Hemingway also loved literature, writing weekly reviews, poetry and prose for school magazines. However, the school years were not calm for Ernest. The atmosphere created in the family by his demanding mother put a lot of pressure on the boy, so that he ran away from home twice and worked on farms as a laborer.

In 1917, when America entered World War I, Hemingway wanted to get into active army , but due to poor eyesight, he was refused. He moved to Kansas to live with his uncle and started working as a reporter for the local newspaper. The Kansas City star. Journalistic experience clearly visible in the distinctive style of Hemingway's writing, laconic, but at the same time clear and precise language. In the spring of 1918, he learned that the Red Cross needed volunteers for Italian front. It was his long-awaited chance to be at the center of the battles. After a short stop in France, Hemingway arrived in Italy. Two months later, while rescuing a wounded Italian sniper, the writer came under fire from machine guns and mortars and was badly injured. He was taken to a hospital in Milan, where, after 12 operations, 26 fragments were removed from his body.

Experience Hemingway received in war, was very important for the young man and influenced not only his life, but also his writing. In 1919 Hemingway returns as a hero to America. Soon he travels to Toronto, where he begins working as a reporter for a newspaper. The Toronto star. In 1921, Hemingway married the young pianist Hadley Richardson, and the couple moves to Paris, the city that the writer has long dreamed of. To collect material for his future stories, Hemingway travels around the world, visiting Germany, Spain, Switzerland and other countries. His first job "Three Stories and Ten Poems"(1923) was not successful, but the next collection of short stories "Nowadays", published in 1925, achieved public recognition.

Hemingway's first novel "And the Sun Rises"(or "Fiesta") published in 1926. "A Farewell to Arms!", a novel depicting World War I and its aftermath, comes out in 1929 and brings great popularity to the author. In the late 20s and into the 30s, Hemingway released two collections of short stories: "Men Without Women"(1927) and "Winner Gets Nothing" (1933).

by the most outstanding works, written in the first half of the 30s, are "Death in the Afternoon"(1932) and "Green Hills of Africa" (1935). "Death in the Afternoon" narrates about the Spanish bullfight, "Green Hills of Africa" and widely famous compilation "Snows of Kilimanjaro"(1936) describe Hemingway's hunting in Africa. nature lover, the writer skillfully draws African landscapes for readers.

When in 1936 began Spanish Civil War Hemingway hastened to the theater of war, but this time as an anti-fascist correspondent and writer. The next three years of his life are closely connected with the struggle of the Spanish people against fascism.

He took part in the filming of the documentary "Land of Spain". Hemingway wrote the script and read the text himself. The impression of the war in Spain reflected in the novel "For whom the Bell Tolls"(1940), which the writer himself considered his best job.

A deep hatred of fascism made Hemingway active participant in World War II. He organized counterintelligence against Nazi spies and hunted German submarines in the Caribbean on his boat, after which he served as a war correspondent in Europe. In 1944, Hemingway took part in combat flights over Germany and even, standing at the head of a detachment of French partisans, was one of the first to liberate Paris from German occupation.

After the war Hemingway moved to Cuba, occasionally visited Spain and Africa. He ardently supported the Cuban revolutionaries in their struggle against the dictatorship that had developed in the country. He talked a lot with ordinary Cubans and worked a lot on new story "The Old Man and the Sea", which is considered the pinnacle of the writer's work. In 1953 Ernest Hemingway received Pulitzer Prize for this brilliant story, and in 1954 Hemingway was awarded Nobel Prize in Literature "for storytelling once again demonstrated in The Old Man and the Sea."

During his trip to Africa in 1953, the writer was in a serious plane crash.

In the last years of his life he was seriously ill. In November 1960, Hemingway returned to America in the town of Ketchum, Idaho. Writer suffered from a number of diseases, because of which he was admitted to the clinic. He was in deep depression, because he believed that the FBI agents were watching him, listening telephone conversations check mail and bank accounts. The clinic accepted it as a symptom. mental illness and treated the great writer with electric shock. After 13 Hemingway sessions I lost my memory and ability to create. He was depressed, suffered from bouts of paranoia, and increasingly thought about suicide.

Two days later, the field of extract from psychiatric hospital On July 2, 1961, Ernest Hemingway shot himself with his favorite hunting rifle at his home in Ketchum, leaving no suicide note.

In the early 80s, the Hemingway case at the FBI was declassified, and the fact of surveillance of the writer in his last years was confirmed.

Ernest Hemingway was by far the greatest writer of his generation, with an amazing and tragic fate. He was freedom fighter, vehemently opposed wars and fascism, and not only through literary works. He was incredible master of writing. His style is distinguished by conciseness, accuracy, restraint in describing emotional situations, and concrete details. The technique he developed was included in the literature under the name "iceberg principle", because the writer gave the main meaning to the subtext. The main feature of his work was truthfulness, he was always honest and sincere with his readers. While reading his works, there is confidence in the reliability of events, the effect of presence is created.

Ernest Hemingway is the writer whose works are recognized as real masterpieces of world literature and whose works, no doubt, should be read by everyone.

MARGARET MITCHELL

(1900-1949)

Margaret Mitchell was born in Atlanta, Georgia. She was the daughter of a lawyer who was chairman of the Atlanta Historical Society. The whole family loved and was interested in history, and the girl grew up in atmosphere of stories about the Civil War.

At first, Mitchell studied at the Washington Seminary, and then entered the prestigious Smith College for Women in Massachusetts. After graduation, she began working in The Atlanta Journal. She wrote hundreds of essays, articles and reviews for the newspaper, and in four years she has grown to reporter, but in 1926 she suffered an ankle injury that made her work impossible.

The energy and liveliness of the character of the writer were traced in everything she did or wrote. Margaret Mitchell married John Marsh in 1925. From that moment on, she began to write down all the stories about the Civil War that she heard as a child. This resulted in a novel "Gone With the Wind", which was first published in 1936. The writer has been working on it for ten years. This is a novel about the American Civil War, told from the point of view of the North. The main character is, of course, a beautiful girl named Scarlett O'Hara, the whole story revolves around her life, family plantation, love relationships.

After the release of the novel, the American classic bestseller, Margaret Mitchell quickly became a worldwide famous writer. Over 8 million copies have been sold in 40 countries. The novel has been translated into 18 languages. He won Pultzer Prize in 1937. The very successful movie with Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable and Leslie Howard.

Despite numerous fan requests for a continuation of O'Hara's story, Mitchell did not write more. not a single novel. But the name of the writer, like her great work will forever remain in the history of world literature.

Modern American literature is a whole army interesting authors and a sea of ​​varied books. It's very easy to get lost here. Together with the MTS Mobile Library, we have compiled a guide to the most important US writers right now. Of course, not everyone is on the list.

JONATHAN FRANZEN

Why is he on our list. Franzen is almost called the most important writer modern America. It returns the reader to the form big romance, ignoring that it is not very fashionable now. To understand Franzen a little, it is worth knowing that he chooses Faulkner over Hemingway, admires Tolstoy, and proudly considers Nabokov an American writer. For the novel "Corrections" Jonathan Franzen received the most prestigious National Book Award.

Of course, this "Sinlessness" . The odyssey of a young girl named Purity who didn't know her father and is trying to find him. In her search, she is helped and hindered by Internet libertarian Andreas Wolf, freelance journalist Tom Aberant, and Anabelle's paranoid mother.

Cost per MTS mobile library :

Other important books by Franzen

"Amendments"- America, 1990s. The Lambert family, whose head suffers from Parkinson's disease, gets together at Christmas to unwittingly arrange the usual family showdown.

Cost per MTS mobile library : 4 rubles if read in 20 days.

"Freedom"- America, already 2000s, behind 9/11. Walter and Patti Berglund try to save their marriage and reflect on their search for freedom.

Cost per MTS mobile library :

DON DELILLO

Why is he on our list. The famous critic Harold Bloom (the same one who ridiculed Stephen King for his National Book Award) called Don DeLillo one of the most important American writers of his time, along with Pynchon, Roth and McCarthy.

In his youth, he read a lot of Faulkner and Hemingway (usually they are opposed to each other), began to write in order not to work, and eventually became a famous postmodernist writer. The resounding success of Don DeLillo brought the novel "White Noise" - National Book Award in 1985.

His Great American Novel

Novels equally claim this role. "White noise" and "Scales". Let's dwell on the latter, because this book is about "seven seconds that broke the back of America" ​​- the assassination of Kennedy. The book tells the stories of Lee Harvey Oswald, the CIA agents who planned the fake assassination attempt on JFK (conspiracy theories!) and archivist Nicholas Branch studying the assassination.

Cost per MTS mobile library : 3 rubles if read in 15 days.

Other important books by DeLillo

"White noise" - satirical story about a professor of Hitler studies who is terribly afraid of death, and also of exposure in his “scientific” discipline. DeLillo also targets TV, religion, supermarkets, etc.

Cost per MTS mobile library : 3 rubles if read in 15 days.

"Falling"- one of the first American literature attempts to comprehend the tragedy of 9/11. The hero sees the towers fall and is forced to live on with this disastrous experience.

CORMAC MCCARTHY

Why is he on our list. Thanks to McCarthy, Javier Bardem played one of his best roles - the psychopath Anton Chigurh in the Coen brothers' thriller No Country for Old Men. McCarthy, of course, wrote a novel of the same name. Seriously speaking, Cormac McCarthy is one of the most venerable American writers, who is often called Faulkner's heir.

His books are included in various top 100 best novels in English. For The Road, McCarthy won the Pulitzer Prize. The novel "Horses, Horses" was awarded the National Book Award and the National Book Critics' Award.

His Great American Novel

"Blood Meridian" - the brutal story of a teenager who joined a gang of thugs on the US-Mexico border. War against everyone: Indians, Mexicans, Rangers, each other. A harsh novel about the nature of violence.

Other Important McCarthy Books

"Horses, horses" - like a novel about a young cowboy who rushed to Mexico from West Texas after the death of his grandfather. In fact, a book about growing up and testing the spirit.

"Road"- hopeless post-apocalyptic. Father and son are trying to cross the former America, destroyed by the cataclysm, to reach the sea.

Cost per MTS mobile library :

MICHAEL CHABON

Why is he on our list. Chabon is equally good at psychological novels, detective stories, science fiction - he turns all this into a unique intellectual prose. The novels "Pittsburgh Mysteries" (first) and "Geeks" (second) were filmed, and it is a pity that this has not yet happened with The Adventures of Cavalier and Clay.

Michael Chabon dreamed up a Jewish colony in Alaska and won two major science fiction awards, the Hugo and Nebula, for his novel The Jewish Policemen's Union. And the novel about Cavalier and Clay earned him a well-deserved Pulitzer Prize and an American literary prize PEN/Faulkner. Yes, even Chabon had a hand in the film "Spider-Man 2", becoming a screenwriter.

His Great American Novel

"The Incredible Adventures of Cavalier and Clay" is a novel about the American dream that the characters are trying to achieve. Josef Kavaler flees the Nazis in a coffin with a golem, his cousin Sammy draws comics in New York. Two geeks come up with a cartoon character, The Escapist, who fights Hitler, and begin their takeover of America's comics industry.

Cost per MTS mobile library : 3 rubles if read in 15 days.

Other important books by Chabon

Union of Jewish Policemen - inseparable friends, detectives Meir Landsman and Berko Shemets, are investigating the murder of a famous chess player. It takes place in Jewish Alaska.

Cost per MTS mobile library : 2 rubles if read in 10 days.

"Moonlight" - memoirs of grandfather Chabon, turned into literature. The protagonist takes part in the Second World War, hunts for German rocket men and Wernher von Braun, collaborates with NASA, falls in love with a Jewish girl... Chabon's very personal book.

Cost per MTS mobile library : 3 rubles if read in 15 days.

STEVEN KING

Why is he on our list. Stephen King takes a close look at nature in his books. ordinary person, not always attractive. And if you want to consider him a horror writer, you run the risk of following a not-so-smart stereotype.

Listing all the awards and achievements of King is simply pointless, there are too many of them. Let's just say that in 2003 he received a medal for outstanding contribution to American literature (US National Book Award).

His Great American Novel

"Hearts in Atlantis" - a poignant book, deliberately collected from stories-fragments. The girl whom the hero of the first story saves from hooligans grows into a rebellious student. She appears in the second story of the novel, the most "American", where King described the college campus of the 1970s, the life of young Americans and the anti-Vietnam protests. Looping the story, King again brings the heroes together in the final...

Other important books by King

"It"- an amazing story about childhood friendship, which is destined to undergo severe trials. After all, a terrifying monster wants everyone to go flying.

"Confrontation" - when the world falls from the flu epidemic, Randall Flagg, the "black man", the dark messiah, will enter the scene. But many Americans will not want to submit to him.

DONNA TARTT

Why is she on our list. Donna Tartt writes her novels once every ten years. She has published three books in total: secret history"(1992)," Little friend"(2002) and "Goldfinch" (2013). But, despite their small number, Donna Tartt has already taken an important place in American literature. Her novels are compared with the books of Shakespeare, Dickens and Umberto Eco (quite strange at first glance). Tartt immerses the reader, as she herself says, in gleeful, greedy reading (happy, greedy reading).

The last novel brought the writer the Pulitzer Prize and the Carnegie Medal for the best art book in the USA.

This is "Goldfinch"- an adventurous romance and a romance of upbringing in one. Young Theo Decker loses his mother in an explosion at a New York museum. From this begins his wanderings through families, cities and time. Throughout his life, Theo is accompanied by the painting The Goldfinch, which he inexplicably stole from the museum after the explosion.

Cost per MTS mobile library : 5 rubles if read in 25 days.

Two other important books by Tartt

"Secret History" - the adult hero remembers a strange college murder that destroyed a group of friends.

Cost per MTS mobile library : 4 rubles if read in 20 days.

"Little friend" - an example of American "Southern Gothic" in a modern version. Young Harriet tries to solve the mystery tragic death younger brother, which happened when she was three years old.

Cost per MTS mobile library : 4 rubles if read in 20 days.

THOMAS PYNCHON

Why is he on our list. Because he wrote Gravity's Rainbow. In principle, this was enough to stake out a place in eternity. Pynchon was rumored to have attended Nabokov's seminar at Cornell University. And for a long time they thought about him that he was Salinger, so well Pynchon kept his incognito.

Pynchon's favorite topics are entropy, paranoia, conspiracy theories, opposition to the System. Pynchon heavily influenced postmodernism and the cyberpunk novel. By the way, they decided not to award him the Pulitzer Prize in 1974 - his "Rainbow" was considered unreadable and obscene. Pynchon did not accept the National Book Award for the novel himself, sending a comedian to the presentation.

His Great American Novel

Against all odds, this is not a "Rainbow" (for that it is too complex and cosmopolitan), but "Birth defect" . America in the early 1970s, detective with a hippie background Doc Sportello is looking for ex girlfriend and her wealthy admirer. The classic confrontation between the outsider and the System.

Cost per MTS mobile library : 3 rubles if read in 15 days.

Other important books by Pynchon

"Gravity's Rainbow" - complex plot is built around the search for the mysterious "black block" for the V-2 rocket number 00000. "Rainbow" is considered the most difficult postmodern novel of the 20th century.

"Screaming Lot 49" - confrontation between two postal companies Thurn und Taxis and Trystero. The latter, fictional, is considered the prototype of the Internet and e-mail.

Cost per MTS mobile library : 3 rubles if read in 15 days.

TOM WOLF

Why is he on our list. He is very good at wearing white suit! In fact, Tom Wolfe is a bright star of American documentaries, prose and journalism. Moreover, he practically invented the "new journalism", perceiving the newspaper genre as a real art.

He wrote about cool non-fiction, about the American auto industry during its heyday, the brilliant Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters hippie commune, the space battle between Americans and Russians. Author of four novels, the last written in 2012. Recipient of the National Book Foundation Medal for Contribution to US Literature.

His Great American Novel

"Bonfires of Ambition" - a bright canvas depicting New York in the 1980s, and at the same time a novel that affects social problem racism and stratification of society. A stockbroker and his mistress accidentally run over a teenager in the "black" ghetto, and he dies. The perpetrators hide the accident, but the terrible secret cannot be kept secret...

Cost per MTS mobile library : 3 rubles if read in 15 days.

Other Important Wolfe Books

"Voice of Blood" - the book describes modern Miami, where immigrants from all over the world have mixed. In the center of the plot is a policeman who is forced to balance between the law and the interests of his diaspora.

"Electrocooling Acid Test" - a story about the life of Ken Kesey from 1958 to 1966 and his influence on the American subculture, in particular the hippies. A masterpiece of new journalism.

Cost per MTS mobile library : 2 rubles if read in 10 days.

JENNIFER EGAN

Why is she on our list. Jennifer Egan is considered one of America's most interesting contemporary writers, although she hasn't written much (more than Donna Tartt, mind you). Egan started with novels for The New Yorker and New York Times magazine. The debut novel "The Invisible Circus" was filmed with Cameron Diaz in the title role.

In 2010, Jennifer Egan won the Pulitzer Prize for Time Has the Last Laugh.

Her Great American Novel

"Time Laughs Last" - the youth of the heroes coincided with the birth of punk rock, and today they are already over forty. The successful producer and failed punk rocker Benny Salazar continues his run in the circle of rock music, breaking away, touring, etc. But time does not lag behind the heroes by a single step.

Other Important Books by Egan

"Citadel"- the story of cousins ​​who met after twenty years. One of them has changed a lot and now invited the second to restore the neglected mansion he bought. old lock promises brothers many surprises.

"Invisible Circus" (not yet translated) - the young heroine goes to Portugal in the footsteps of her older hippie sister, who unexpectedly committed suicide for everyone.

WILLIAM GIBSON

Why is he on our list. Of course, he's here primarily because of Neuromancer and his sleek, unique style. The mentioned novel became the “New Testament of cyberpunk” (according to Timothy Leary), in fact, gave rise to this genre, unleashed literary war with American science fiction humanists. "Neuromant" collected all significant awards in science fiction: Hugo, Nebula, Philip Dick Award, Australian Ditmar and Japanese Seiun Award.

To Gibson's credit, he shook the dust of cyberpunk off his feet as the genre began to die, and moved on to futuristic prose that explored new media, technologies, religions, and so on. He owns famous saying: "The future is already here, it's just unevenly distributed."

His Great Post-American Novel

"Peripherals" , last novel writer. For Gibson, America no longer exists as a single state. The heroine Flynn and her brother Burton, a local war veteran, are forced to earn extra money as semi-legal freelancers in online games. One such game turns out to be not a game at all, but another reality, the inhabitants of which manipulate people in our world.

Cost per MTS mobile library : 3 rubles if read in 15 days.

Other Important Gibson Books

The whole trilogy "Cyberspace" , including "Neuromancer", "Count Zero", "Mona Lisa overdrive": data matrix hacks, illegal technologies, cyberwar with corporations and yakuza, bioimplants, etc.

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