Henry James, American novelist and literary critic, was born in 1843 in New York City. Psychologist-philosopher William James was his brother. By the age of 18, he had lived in France, England, Switzerland, Germany, and New England. In 1876, he moved to London, having decided to live abroad permanently. James was a prolific writer; his writings include 22 novels, 113 tales, 15 plays, approximately 10 books of criticism, and 7 travel books. His best-known works include Daisy Miller, The Turn of the Screw, The Portrait of a Lady, The Ambassadors, and The American Scene. His works of fiction are elegant and articulate looks at Victorian society; while primarily set in genteel society, James subtlely explores class issues, sexual repression, and psychological distress. Henry James died in 1916 in London. The James Memorial Stone in Poet's Corner, Westminster Abbey, commemorates him.
Daniel Baruch Aaron was born in Chicago, Illinois on August 4, 1912. He received a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Michigan in 1933 and the first doctoral degree in American civilization from Harvard University. He taught English at Smith College for 30 years. During wartime shortages of manpower, he worked on a farm and as a volunteer police officer. In 1979, he co-founded the nonprofit Library of America. The company has published millions of copies of over 250 moderately priced novels, memoirs, narrative histories, forgotten masterpieces, and other classics. He wrote several books during his lifetime including Men of Good Hope: A Story of American Progressives, Writers on the Left: Episodes in American Literary Communism, and The Unwritten War: American Writers and the Civil War. His memoirs include The Americanist and Commonplace Book, 1934-2012. He condensed the 155 volume journal of failed poet and scion of Southern wealth Arthur Crew Inman into The Inman Diary: A Public and Private Confession. In 2010, he was awarded a National Humanities Medal as a scholar and as the founding president of the Library of America. He died from complications of pneumonia on April 30, 2016 at the age of 103.
