Henry James

Henry James was born on April 15, 1843 to a well-to-do family in New York City. His father, a philosopher and lecturer, had many scholarly friends and acquaintances who frequently visited the James’ household, which introduced Henry to literary society from a young age. The family often moved between the United States, France, England, and Switzerland, so James studied at various schools with the aid of private tutors. He briefly attended Harvard Law School but quit to pursue writing. His career started with stories and reviews featured in multiple periodicals, including The Atlantic Monthly, before he published his first novel (Watch and Ward) in 1871. A few years later, he moved to Europe, where he would reside for the rest of his life, excepting a few trips to the United States. While living in France, he met many famous realist and naturalist writers whose work influenced his writing. Many of James’s stories and novels are written in a realist style, which is to say that they are focused on depicting life as is, without embellishments or supernatural forces. He later moved to England, where he immersed himself in the local social life. James never married, and today is widely believed to have been homosexual, although this was a well-guarded secret from his friends and family. In 1878, he gained international fame with his novel Daisy Miller, and further established his renown with his 1881 masterpiece The Portrait of a Lady. After a rather unsuccessful attempt at playwriting, James returned to writing novels and essays that continued to solidify his critical reputation, although his readership was generally modest in his lifetime. James became a British citizen in 1915, shortly before he died of pneumonia in 1916.