Sherwood Anderson
Born 1876 · Died 1941
Sherwood Anderson was born in Camden, Ohio on the 13th of September, 1876. He attended school only intermittently, while helping to support his family by working as a newsboy, housepainter, stock handler, and stable groom. At the age of 17 he moved to Chicago where he worked as a warehouse laborer and attended business classes at night. During the Spanish-American war Anderson fought in Cuba and returned after the war to Ohio, for a final year of schooling at Wittenberg College, Springfield. Anderson's two first novels were Windy McPherson’s Son (1916) and Marching Men (1917), both containing the psychological themes of inner lives of Midwestern villages, the pursuit of success and disillusionment. His third novel, Winesburg, Ohio, was "half individual tales, half long novel form", as the author himself described it. It consisted of twenty-three thematically related sketches and stories. Written in a simple, realistic language illuminated by a muted lyricism, Anderson dramatized crucial episodes in the lives of his characters. In 1921 Anderson received the first Dial Award for his contribution to American literature. After traveling extensively in Europe, he returned back to the United States, settling in New Orleans, where he shared an apartment with William Faulkner. From New Orleans Anderson moved to New York for some time, and from there finally to Marion, Virginia, where he built a country house, and worked as a farmer and journalist.
Quotes
“In the beginning when the world was young there were a great many thoughts but no such thing as truth. Man made the truths himself and each truth was a composite of a great many vague thoughts. All about in the world were truths and they were all beautiful.”
Winesburg, Ohio “Everyone in the world is Christ and they are all crucified.”
Winesburg, Ohio “Sometimes I think we Americans are the loneliest people in the world. To be sure, we hunger for the power of affection, the self-acceptance that gives life. It is the oldest and strongest hunger in the world. But hungering is not enough.”
Memoirs, p. 6
Quotes from Wikiquote (CC BY-SA 4.0), chosen with AI.
Books by Sherwood Anderson in order
Books by Sherwood Anderson in the order they were published, from Windy McPherson's Son (1916) to Southern Odyssey (1997).
- 1Windy McPherson's Son
Windy McPherson's Son1916 - 2Winesburg, Ohio
Winesburg, Ohio1919 - 3Poor White
Poor White1920 - 4A Story Teller's Story
A Story Teller's Story1922 - 5Many Marriages
Many Marriages1922 - 6Dark Laughter
Dark Laughter1925 - 7Sherwood Anderson's Notebook
Sherwood Anderson's Notebook1926 - 8Hello Towns!
Hello Towns!1929 - 9Perhaps Women
Perhaps Women1931 - 10Beyond Desire
Beyond Desire1932 - 11Kit Brandon
Kit Brandon1936 - 12A Writer's Conception of RealismA Writer's Conception of Realism1939
- 13Sherwood Anderson's Memoirs
Sherwood Anderson's Memoirs1942 - 14The Sherwood Anderson Reader
The Sherwood Anderson Reader1947 - 15The Portable Sherwood Anderson
The Portable Sherwood Anderson1949 - 16The Indispensable Sherwood AndersonThe Indispensable Sherwood Anderson1950
- 17Death in the Woods
Death in the Woods1961 - 18Sherwood Anderson
Sherwood Anderson1962 - 19Short StoriesShort Stories1962
- 20Sherwood Anderson/Gertrude Stein: Correspondence and Persona
Sherwood Anderson/Gertrude Stein: Correspondence and Personal Essays1972 - 21Southern Odyssey
Southern Odyssey1997