About
Thomas Clayton Wolfe, born in Asheville, North Carolina, in 1900, is a major American novelist of the 20th century. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1920, he pursued graduate studies at Harvard and taught at New York University. His first novel, Look Homeward, Angel (1929), largely autobiographical, stirred local controversy for its transparent portrayals. His lyrical, rhapsodic style influenced writers such as Jack Kerouac. He died in 1938 at age 37, leaving two novels published posthumously.
* 1900-10-03 — † 1938-09-15
Major works
- Look Homeward, Angel (1929)novel
- Of Time and the River (1935)novel
- From Death to Morning (1935)short story collection
- The Web and the Rock (1939)novel
- You Can't Go Home Again (1940)novel
Key milestones
- 1929Publication of his first novel, Look Homeward, Angel, edited by Maxwell Perkins at Scribner's.
- 1938Dies in Baltimore of tubercular meningitis at age 37.
- 1971His childhood home in Asheville is designated a National Historic Landmark.
Themes
AutobiographySearch for identityAmerican regionalismTime and memoryExile and nostalgia
Sources: britannica.com · britannica.com · britannica.com