Happy Deathday, Mr. Crane!

On this day in 1900, American writer, Stephen Crane died of Tuberculosis in Germany. He was only 28 years old.

Educated at Lafayette College and Syracuse University, Crane did not graduate, but opted to work as a journalist for the New York Tribune, as well as the Herald. (If only all of us writers had that opportunity just fall in our laps with no degree, these days…) Crane’s first published work was a story, Maggie, a Girl of the Streets, and was published in 1891.  However Crane’s greater success came in 1896, when he wrote  The Red Badge of Courage. Chances are, if you have made it through grade school, you have read this book. It has been used across the Nation, for decades, to teach youngsters about the American Civil War.But make no mistake, we’re not trying to say that the work is childish. The descriptions are as rich as the realism and we cannot stress enough that if you haven’t read this book yet, you are in for a linguistic treat!

Mr. Crane also authored a wonderful book of poems in 1895 entitled, The Black Riders, and a plethora of other stories. What you may not know about Crane is that he acted as a war correspondent in the Greco-Turkish War (1897) and the Spanish American War (1898).

Today… we challenge you to dwell in the world of harsh realism and follow the story of a character that is thrown right into the middle of it. Will your character earn their very own read badge of courage?

Write on in peace, Mr. Crane!

Happy Deathday Mr. Poe!

Today is Edgar Allan Poe’s deathday. Poe died in 1849 from what is believed to be tuberculosis, though there were numerous suspicions that the writer had contracted rabies, cholera, syphilis or perhaps had an epileptic seizure. We’ll never know for sure as the death records have been lost. He was only 40 years old.

Poe is among the most famous writers of our time. He is remembered as the Master of Horror and the macabre. His writings have haunted and thrilled readers for many years and his influence on popular culture has been legendary.

Among his masterpieces are the short stories The Pit and the Pendulum, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Masque of the Red Death, The Fall of the House of Usher, and The Gold Bug. His poetry expresses a melancholy yet sensuous state of being that leaves many readers with mixed emotions. Poe unnerves some and inspires others. Some of our favorite poems by Poe include his masterpiece “The Raven”, “The Bells”, “The City in the Sea” and of course, “Annabel Lee”.

Poe published his first volume of poetry in 1827, Tamerlane and other Poems. But it was not published under his name but rather as “A Bostonian”. It may encourage and interest some of you aspiring poets out there to know that Poe’s most famous poem “The Raven”, first published in 1845, only earned the poet between $10 and $15!!

Edgar Allan Poe may have died poverty stricken, widowed and wandering the streets of Baltimore in a confused and delirious state (on account of drunkenness or perhaps rabies), but mark our words… he will never be forgotten. His terrifying and thought provoking texts will continue to haunt readers for many many ages to come.

Today, remember Mr. Poe. Draw the curtains, light some candles and listen for things that go bump in the night as you read. And should a “Black Cat” cross your path, be sure to send it Poe’s regards.

Write on in peace, Mr. Poe!

Happy Deathday Mr. Wolfe!

On September 15th of 1938, novelist Thomas Wolfe died of tuberculosis at only 37 years old.

Wolfe only wrote four novels, a book of his memoirs and a handful of short stories. But don’t be fooled… those four are packed with more impressionistic, sophisticated and sensitive prose than some authors are able to convey in a lifetime!

Wolfe is best known for his work Look Homeward, Angel but our favorite is The Story of a Novel, which was published in 1936. This memoir documents Wolfe’s working relationship with his editor, Maxwell Perkins, who worked at Scribner’s. Perkins also worked with Hemingway and Fitzgerald. It is a fascinating window into the world of a writer in the 1930s and a must read for all lovers of that era.

Though Wolfe received great acclaim during his life, he was also published posthumously; Web and the Rock was published in 1939 , followed by a collection of short stories in 1941, entitled The Hills Beyond.It is said that Faulkner, a contemporary of Wolfe, called him “their generation’s best writer” and it cannot be mistaken that Thomas Wolfe was incredibly influential to writers like Ray Bradbury and Jack Kerouac. Upon his death, The New York Times wrote of him:

“His was one of the most confident young voices in contemporary American literature, a vibrant, full-toned voice which it is hard to believe could be so suddenly stilled. The stamp of genius was upon him, though it was an undisciplined and unpredictable genius…. There was within him an unspent energy, an untiring force, an unappeasable hunger for life and for expression which might have carried him to the heights and might equally have torn him down”

Today, we hope our readers will remember Thomas Wolfe by being “undisciplined” and “unpredictable” geniuses! See if you can tap into that “unspent energy”!

Write on in peace, Mr. Wolfe!

Happy Deathday Mr. Kafka!

On June 3rd, in the year 1924, the greatest icon of dark existentialist and absurdist literature passed away from starvation as a result of tuberculosis.

Best known for his short story “The Metamorphosis”, Kafka often explored themes of isolation, alienation, and authoritarian oppression.  Some of our favorite works by Kafka include  “In the Penal Colony”, “The Hunger Artist”, and the novels The Trial, The Castle, and the unfinished Amerika.

His childhood is thought to have been an unhappy one and it is well documented that Kafka had an often tumultuous relationship with his father, which would rear it’s head in much of his writing. In fact, in Letter to His Father ( published in 1919) he stated: “My writing was all about you; all I did there, after all, was to bemoan what I could not bemoan upon your breast. It was an intentionally long-drawn-out leave-taking from you.”

Throughout his life, Franz Kafka was marked by extreme sexual neurosis and severe depression. Sound familiar? In many ways, we feel that Kafka is not only to writing what Dali was to painting, but he is the ultimate “troubled artist”… and we love him for it.

So- today, we encourage our readers to embrace their inner insect and join us in wishing Franz Kafka a glorious deathday!

Write on in peace, Mr. Kafka!

Tea for Two…

Two Deathdays, that is!

Today is May 6th… it is also the day upon which Henry David Thoreau died in 1862 after a long battle with Tuberculosis.

Thoreau is best known for his essay “Civil Disobedience” and of course, what many critics call his masterpiece, Walden. Thoreau’s works were often politically charged or fueled by his love of nature and the conservation of it. Ever the progressive thinker, Thoreau was once referred to as “the greatest American anarchist” by notorious anarchist Emma Goldman.Some of our favorite works by Thoreau, Walden notwithstanding, are Life Without Principle, Cape Cod and Walking, all of which can be found online or at your local library!

On May 6th of 1919 Lyman Frank Baum, renowned American author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, died after suffering from a stroke. Baum, in his lifetime, wrote 55 novels, 82 short stories, numerous scripts and well over 200 poems! To say this man was prolific would be the understatement of the century!               

Clearly, most people will have heard of him, due to the great success of the classic story “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” which has been translated into nearly every language in the world and has been eternally ingrained into popular culture. But… here a few of our other favorite Baum works you may not have read… Phoebe Daring: A Story for Young Folk, The King Who Changed his Mind, The Tramp and the Baby, The Aunt Jane series (written under the pen name of Edith Van Dyne) and The Master Key: An Electrical Fairy Tale.

We hope you will remember these brilliant authors today by spending some time outside, enjoying the beautiful weather, contemplating anarchy and the fantastical wonder of the future!

Write on in Peace Mr. Thoreau and Mr. Baum!