Rise of Silas Lapham

William Dean Howells was born in Martin's Ferry, Ohio, on 1 March 1837. Reporter, author and editor, he also served as American consul in Venice from 1861 - 1865. He was dedicated to the development of a new literature of naturalism and literary realism, and helped to spread an awareness of such writers as Tolstoy, Ibsen, and Henry James. He was also a staunch critic of racism, and was a founder member of the NAACP. Howells died in New York City on 11 May 1920.