i had such a complicated reaction to this book. Zut, alors! i don't even know where to begin. These characters are stunted by the narrowness of Midwestern small-town life and by their own limitations. Instead of emphasizing plot and action, Anderson used a simple, precise, unsentimental style to reveal the frustration, loneliness, and longing in the lives of his characters. These tales made a significant break with the traditional American short story. The stories explore the lives of inhabitants of Winesburg, a fictional version of Clyde, Ohio, the small farm town where Anderson lived for about 12 years of his early life. He became a heroic model for younger writers because he broke with what they considered to be American materialism and convention to commit himself to art.Īnderson's most important book is WINESBURG, OHIO (1919), a collection of 22 stories. In early 1913, he moved to Chicago, where he devoted more time to his imaginative writing. In 1912, Anderson deserted his family and job. By 1912, he was the successful manager of a paint factory in Elyria, Ohio, and the father of three children by the first of his four wives. He never finished high school because he had to work to support his family. Anderson thus occupies a place in literary history that cannot be fully explained by the literary quality of his work.Īnderson was born on Sept. These writers included Ernest Hemingway, F. Anderson was a major influence on the generation of American writers who came after him. Although none of his novels was wholly successful, several of his short stories have become classics. Sherwood Anderson, (1876-1941), was an American short-story writer and novelist. That work's influence on American fiction was profound, and its literary voice can be heard in Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Thomas Wolfe, John Steinbeck, Erskine Caldwell and others. Sherwood Anderson was an American writer who was mainly known for his short stories, most notably the collection Winesburg, Ohio.

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