05/06/2013
Stephen Crane (1871–1900) was an American novelist, short story
writer, poet and journalist. Prolific throughout his short life, he
wrote notable works in the Realist tradition as well as early examples
of American Naturalism and Impressionism. Crane's first novel was the
1893 Bowery tale Maggie: A Girl of the Streets. He won international
acclaim for his 1895 Civil War novel The Red Badge of Courage, written
without any battle experience. Late that year he accepted an offer to
cover the Spanish–American War as a war correspondent. As he waited in
Jacksonville, Florida, for passage to Cuba, he met Cora Taylor, the
madam of a brothel, with whom he would have a lasting relationship.
Plagued by financial difficulties and ill health, Crane died of
tuberculosis at the age of 28. Although recognized primarily for The Red
Badge of Courage, Crane is also known for short stories such as "The
Open Boat", "The Blue Hotel", "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky", and The
Monster. His writing made a deep impression on 20th-century writers,
most prominent among them Ernest Hemingway, and is thought to have
inspired the Modernists and the Imagists.
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