The American Diaries, 1902-1926

The American Diaries, 1902-1926 - Paperback

$67.50
$67.50
Skip to product information
The American Diaries, 1902-1926
  • The American Diaries, 1902-1926
The American Diaries, 1902-1926 - Paperback

The American Diaries, 1902-1926 - Paperback

by Theodore Dreiser
$67.50
$67.50

Book Overview

by Theodore Dreiser (Author), Thomas P. Riggio (Editor), III (Editor)

Dreiser's careful preservation of his papers bears new fruit with the publication of his personal diaries for the years 1902-26. This volume presents all seven of Dreiser's hitherto unpublished American diaries, the intermittent journals he kept during the most productive years of his literary career. Together they constitute a revealing self-portrait as well as a valuable commentary on the American scene during the first quarter of the twentieth century. They offer reflections on turn-of-the-century Philadelphia, the American South and Mid-West, Greenwich Village of the nineteen-teens, and Hollywood of the twenties. The diaries begin in 1902, when Dreiser was at a low point after the "suppression" of Sister Carrie, and continue until 1926, when he was enjoying the greatest success of his career with An American Tragedy.

This publication constitutes in its entirety a new source for biographical and critical study. This is particularly true of the diaries covering Dreiser's experience in Philadelphia, Greenwich Village, and with Helen Richardson--all of which were not available to previous biographers. The present Introduction by Professor Riggio is the first biographical narrative to make use of these materials. Future biographers will now be able to speak with more assurance of Dreiser's whereabouts, the people he knew, what he was reading, which writings were in progress, and of his fascinating private affairs in general. In addition, these diaries will be of interest to students of Dreiser's literary art, as they reveal subtle aspects of how Dreiser viewed the external world and transmuted it in his daily creative efforts.

Author Biography

Thomas P. Riggio is associate professor of English at the University of Connecticut. James L. W. West is professor of English at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Neda M. Westlake is curator of the Rare Books Collection at the University of Pennsylvania.

Number of Pages: 486
Dimensions: 1.08 x 9 x 6 IN
Publication Date: May 01, 1983
ISBN9780812211481
Author Theodore Dreiser
PublisherUniversity of Pennsylvania Press
GenreBiography
FormatPaperback
PublishedMay 1983
LanguageENG- English
Pages486
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceAdults
Print SizeStandard Print

Related Subjects

Biography & Autobiography Nonfiction

1% fer Each of the Seven Seas

Every purchase sends 7% of our profits to The Ocean Cleanup. No fine print, no opt-in — just how we sail.

Whoever Ye Be, Welcome Aboard

Queer lit, music, art, philosophy, fiction — stories for every kind of soul. Come as ye are, matey.

More by Theodore Dreiser

Jennie Gerhardt

Jennie Gerhardt - Hardcover

Jennie Gerhardt - Hardcover

By Theodore Dreiser

About Theodore Dreiser

Theodore Dreiser was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, on August 27, 1871. After a poor and difficult childhood, Dreiser broke into newspaper work in Chicago in 1892. A successful career as a magazine writer in New York during the late 1890s was followed by his first novel, Sister Carrie (1900). When this work made little impact, Dreiser published no fiction until Jennie Gerhardt in 1911. There then followed a decade and a half of major work in a number of literary forms, which was capped in 1925 by An American Tragedy, a novel that brought him universal acclaim. Dreiser was increasingly preoccupied by philosophical and political issues during the last two decades of his life. He died in Los Angeles on December 28, 1945.

You may also like