American literature

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Timeline: American literature

Years: 1616 - 1995	Subject: Literature
Publisher: HistoryWorld	Online Publication Date: 2012
Current online version: 2012	eISBN: 9780191736872

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Year	Event
1616	John Smith publishes A Description of New England, an account of his exploration of the region in 1614 Go to Smith, John (1580–1631) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 17th century Literature English literature Literature in English Politics Conquest and colonization Exploration British Isles American Indians British colonial America British empire European empires from 1415 Europe Society Empires Britain North America United States
1620	William Bradford begins a journal of the Pilgrims' experience in New England, subsequently published (in 1856) as History of Plymouth Plantation Go to Plimmoth Plantation, History of in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 17th century Literature Literature in English Politics Conquest and colonization British colonial America British empire European empires from 1415 Europe Empires North America United States
1650	The poems of Massachusetts author Anne Bradstreet are published in London under the title The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America Go to Bradstreet, Anne (c.1612–1672) in The Oxford Companion to English Literature (7 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 17th century Literature English literature Literature in English Poetry British Isles British colonial America Europe Britain North America United States
1674	Samuel Sewall begins a diary of daily life in Boston, Massachusetts, that will span a period of more than fifty years Go to Sewall, Samuel (1652–1730) in The Oxford Companion to United States History (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 17th century Literature Literature in English Politics Conquest and colonization Social and domestic Society North America United States
1700	Boston merchant Samuel Sewall publishes The Selling of Joseph, a very early anti-slavery tract Go to Sewall, Samuel (1652–1730) in The Oxford Companion to United States History (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 17th century 18th century Literature Literature in English Slavery Society North America United States
1722	16-year-old Benjamin Franklin contributes the 'Dogood Papers', essays on moral topics, to a Boston journal, The New England Courant Go to Franklin, Benjamin (1706–90) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 18th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1774	Encouraged by Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine emigrates to America and settles in Philadelphia Go to Paine, Thomas (1737–1809) in The Oxford Companion to British History (1 rev ed.) See this event in other timelines: 18th century Britain 1750-1900 Literature English literature Literature in English Great Britain - from 1707 British Isles British colonial America Europe Britain North America United States
1776	In Common Sense, an anonymous pamphlet, English immigrant Thomas Paine is the first to argue that the American colonies should be independent Go to Paine, Thomas (1737–1809) in The Oxford Companion to British History (1 rev ed.) See this event in other timelines: 18th century American Revolution Literature Literature in English Politics Protest and rebellion British colonial America European empires from 1415 Europe Empires Wars and Revolutions North America United States
1778	Francis Hopkinson's popular ballad The Battle of the Kegs describes an ingenious American threat to the British navy Go to Battle of the Kegs, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 18th century American Revolution American Revolutionary War Literature Literature in English Poetry War Wars and Revolutions North America United States
1781	US poet Philip Freneau describes in The British Prison Ship the horrors of his experiences as a prisoner Go to Freneau, Philip Morin (1752–1832) in The Oxford Companion to English Literature (7 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 18th century American Revolution American Revolutionary War Literature Literature in English Poetry War Wars and Revolutions North America United States
1783	US lexicographer Noah Webster publishes a Spelling Book for American children that eventually will sell more than 60 million copies Go to Webster, Noah (1758–1843) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 18th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1786	US author Philip Freneau publishes his first collection of poems, dating back to 1771 Go to Freneau, Philip Morin (1752–1832) in The Oxford Companion to English Literature (7 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 18th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1789	The autobiography of Olaudah Equiano, a slave captured as a child in Africa, becomes a best-seller on both sides of the Atlantic Go to Equiano, Olaudah [Gustavas Vassa] (1745?–1801?) in The Oxford Companion to American Literature (6 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 18th century Literature Literature in English Migration Slavery Society North America United States US painter and author William Dunlap has great success with his comedy The Father; or, American Shandyism Go to Dunlap, William (19 Feb. 1766) in The Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (4 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 18th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States
1796	US author Joel Barlow publishes his mock-heroic poem The Hasty Pudding, inspired by a dish eaten in 1793 in France Go to Hasty Pudding, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 18th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1798	US author Charles Brockden Brown publishes Wieland, the first of four novels setting Gothic romance in an American context Go to Brown, Charles Brockden (1771–1810) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 18th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1800	The Library of Congress, the US national library in all but name, is founded in Washington Go to Library of Congress in The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (2 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 18th century 19th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1809	Washington Irving uses the fictional Dutch scholar Diedrich Knickerbocker as the supposed author of his comic History of New York Go to History of New York, A in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1814	US lawyer Francis Scott Key writes The Star-Spangled Banner after seeing the British bombard Fort McHenry Go to Star-spangled Banner in Oxford Dictionary of English (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1817	US poet William Cullen Bryant publishes Thanatopsis, written seven years previously at the age of 16 Go to Bryant, William Cullen (1794–1878) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1820	Washington Irving tells the story of the long sleep of Rip Van Winkle in his Sketch Book Go to Irving, Washington in Oxford Dictionary of English (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States 7-year-old Henry Wadsworth Longfellow has a poem published in a newspaper in his home town of Portland, Maine Go to Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth (1807–82) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1821	The Spy, a romance set in the American Revolution, establishes the reputation of US author James Fenimore Cooper Go to Cooper, James Fenimore (1789–1851) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States The spoken language of the Cherokee Indians is captured in written form – an achievement traditionally attributed to Sequoyah Go to Sequoya in New Oxford American Dictionary (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English American Indians North America United States
1823	James Fenimore Cooper's The Pioneers introduces Natty Bumppo, frontiersman known for his 'leather stockings' Go to Bumppo, Natty in The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (2 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States An American poem, A Visit from St Nicholas, describes in every detail the modern Santa Claus Go to Moore, Clement Clarke (1779–1863) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1826	In James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans, Natty Bumppo sides with a Mohican chief Go to Last of the Mohicans, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1828	Connecticut lexicographer Noah Webster publishes the definitive 2-volume scholarly edition of his American Dictionary of the English Language Go to Webster, Noah in Oxford Dictionary of English (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1829	20-year-old Edgar Allan Poe publishes Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems Go to Poe, Edgar Allan in Oxford Dictionary of English (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1830	Oliver Wendell Holmes' poem 'Old Ironsides' prompts a public response that saves the frigate from the scrapyard Go to Holmes, Oliver Wendell (1809–94) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1831	Samuel Francis Smith's patriotic hymn America is sung for the first time on July 4 in Boston Go to “America in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Performing arts Music Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States Oliver Wendell Holmes' poem The Last Leaf is inspired by an aged survivor of the Boston Tea Party Go to Last Leaf, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1832	English author Frances Trollope ruffles transatlantic feathers with her Domestic Manners of the Americans, based on a 3-year stay Go to Trollope, Frances (1780–1863) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Britain 1750-1900 Literature English literature Literature in English Social and domestic Great Britain - from 1707 United Kingdom - from 1801 British Isles Europe Society Britain North America United States
1834	American novelist William Gilmore Simms publishes Guy Rivers, the first of his series known as the Border Romances Go to Simms, William Gilmore (1806–70) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1835	Alexis de Tocqueville publishes in French the first two volumes of his extremely influential study Democracy in America Go to Tocqueville, Alexis, Comte de (1805–59) in A Dictionary of World History (2 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature French literature Literature in English Politics Democracy and dissent Europe France North America United States The Partisan, set in South Carolina, launches the series of novels by William Gilmore Simms known as the Revolutionary Romances Go to Simms, William Gilmore (1806–70) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1836	In his essay, Nature, Ralph Waldo Emerson sets out the fundamentals of the philosophy of Transcendentalism Go to Emerson, Ralph Waldo (1803–82) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Philosophy North America United States
1837	In The American Scholar Ralph Waldo Emerson urges his student audience to heed their own intellectuals rather than those of Europe Go to Emerson, Ralph Waldo (1803–82) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1838	In his Divinity School Address, delivered at Harvard, Ralph Waldo Emerson criticizes formal religion and gives priority to personal spiritual experience Go to Divinity School Address in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Religion Christianity North America United States US author Nathaniel Hawthorne publishes Fanshawe, his first novel, at his own expense Go to Hawthorne, Nathaniel (1804–64) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1839	Edgar Allan Poe publishes a characteristically gothic tale, The Fall of the House of Usher Go to Poe, Edgar Allan (1809–49) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1840	The first issue of the quarterly magazine The Dial is issued by the Transcendentalists meeting at Ralph Waldo Emerson's home Go to Dial, The (July 1840–April 1844) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Philosophy North America United States US lawyer Richard Henry Dana has immediate popular success with Two Years Before the Mast, his account of his time as a merchant seaman Go to Dana, Richard Henry, Jr. (1815–82) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1841	Herman Melville goes to sea on the whaler Acushnet and spends more than a year in the south Pacific Go to Melville, Herman (1819–91) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English North America United States August Dupin solves the case in Edgar Allan Poe's The Murders in the Rue Morgue, considered to be the first example of a detective story Go to Poe, Edgar Allan (1809–49) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Ballads and Other Poems includes 'The Village Blacksmith' and 'The Wreck of the Hesperus' Go to Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth (1807–82) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States US social reformer Catherine Beecher publishes an influential book to empower women, Treatise on Domestic Economy Go to Beecher, Catherine (6 Sept 1800) in The Grove Encyclopedia of American Art (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Politics North America United States
1843	Edgar Allan Poe publishes The Pit and the Pendulum, a cliff-hanging tale of terror at the hands of the Spanish Inquisition Go to Poe, Edgar Allan (1809–49) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States William Hickling Prescott brings the Conquistadors dramatically to life in his 3-volume History of the Conquest of Mexico Go to Prescott, William Hickling (1796–1859) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Latin America Mexico North America United States
1845	Edgar Allan Poe publishes The Raven and Other Poems Go to Poe, Edgar Allan (1809–49) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States Henry David Thoreau moves into a hut that he has built for himself in the woods at Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts Go to Thoreau, Henry David (1817–62) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English North America United States Escaped slave Frederick Douglass publishes the first of three volumes of autobiography Go to Douglass, Frederick (1817–95) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Slavery Society North America United States US author Margaret Fuller publishes Woman in the Nineteenth Century, an early and thoughtful feminist study of women's place in society Go to Hollinghurst, Alan (1954– ) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Politics North America United States
1846	Francis Parkman travels west into dangerous territory in Wyoming, an adventure he later describes in The Oregon Trail Go to Parkman, Francis in New Oxford American Dictionary (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1847	Ralph Waldo Emerson publishes his first collection of poems, many of which have appeared first in The Dial Go to Emerson, Ralph Waldo (1803–82) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States William Hickling Prescott follows his great work on Mexico with a 2-volume History of the Conquest of Peru Go to Prescott, William Hickling (1796–1859) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Latin America Mexico Peru North America United States
1849	Francis Parkman's The Oregon Trail, already serialized in 1847, is published in book form Go to Parkman, Francis in New Oxford American Dictionary (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1850	Nathaniel Hawthorne publishes his novel The Scarlet Letter, in which Hester Prynne is forced to wear the letter A for Adultress Go to Prynne, Hester [Lit.] in The Oxford Dictionary of Reference and Allusion (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1851	US author Nathaniel Hawthorne bases his novel The House of the Seven Gables on a curse invoked against his own family Go to House of the Seven Gables, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Herman Melville publishes Moby Dick; or, The Whale, a novel based on his own 18-month experience on a whaler in 1841-2 Go to Melville, Herman (1819–91) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1852	Harriet Beecher Stowe publishes a massively successful antislavery novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, that sells 300,000 copies in its first year Go to Stowe, Harriet Beecher in Oxford Dictionary of English (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction Slavery Society North America United States
1854	Thoreau publishes an account of his two years of self-sufficient transcendentalism in his hut at Walden Pond Go to Thoreau, Henry David (1817–62) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1855	The first edition of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass is published anonymously, at his own expense, and contains just 12 poems Go to Whitman, Walt (1819–92) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States Longfellow publishes his American Indian epic, The Song of Hiawatha, in an irresistibly catchy metre Go to Hiawatha, The Song of in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Poetry American Indians North America United States
1858	Oliver Wendell Holmes' book The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table is the first in a breakfast-table series Go to Holmes, Oliver Wendell (1809–94) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Longfellow uses a romantic story of early New England for his narrative poem The Courtship of Miles Standish Go to Courtship of Miles Standish, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1861	Longfellow's narrative poem Paul Revere's Ride dramatizes a turning point at the start of the American Revolution Go to Paul Revere's Ride in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1862	Julia Ward Howe publishes The Battle Hymn of the Republic, inspired by a visit to Union troops in the American Civil War Go to “Battle Hymn of the Republic, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Poetry War American civil war Wars and Revolutions North America United States Unpublished American poet Emily Dickinson writes more than 300 poems within the year Go to Dickinson, Emily Elizabeth (1830–86) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Philosophy North America United States
1863	Samuel Clemens uses the pseudonym Mark Twain for the first time on an article in Virginia City's Territorial Enterprise Go to Mark Twain in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1865	Samuel Clemens, writing under the pseudonym Mark Twain, has immediate success with The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County Go to Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1866	Walt Whitman laments the assassinated President Lincoln in his poem 'O Captain! My Captain!', published in Sequel to Drum-Taps Go to O Captain! My Captain! in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Poetry US presidents Rulers and politicians North America United States
1867	The first collection of 'Negro Spirituals' is published in book form in the US as Slave Songs of the United States Go to spiritual in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music (5 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Performing arts Music Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1868	US author Louisa May Alcott begins serial publication of her book for children, Little Women (in book form 1869) Go to Alcott, Louisa May (1832–88) in The Oxford Companion to English Literature (7 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1870	Bret Harte's comic ballad Plain Language from Truthful James acquires a popular alternative title, The Heathen Chinee Go to Plain Language from Truthful James in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1872	Pragmatism emerges as a philosophical approach in meetings of the Metaphysical Club in Cambridge, Massachusetts Go to pragmatism in A Dictionary of Sociology (3 rev ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Philosophy North America United States
1873	The Gilded Age, by Charles Dudley Warner and Mark Twain, provides the familiar name for life in the US towards the end of the nineteenth century Go to Gilded Age, The: A Tale of To-day in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1876	In 21 years Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass has grown from 12 poems to the two volumes of the sixth edition, published in the USA's centenary year Go to Korea, national library of, North Korea in The Oxford Companion to the Book (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States Mark Twain publishes The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, in which Tom and his friends find excitement in a small town on the Mississippi Go to Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1879	US author Joel Chandler Harris introduces Uncle Remus in a story in the Constitution Go to Harris, Joel Chandler (1848–1908) in The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1880	US author Lew Wallace publishes a historical novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ Go to Wallace, Lew[is] (1827–1905) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1881	In Washington Square Henry James tells the sad story of heiress Catherine Sloper Go to Washington Square in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Joel Chandler Harris publishes Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings, the first of many Uncle Remus volumes Go to Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings in The Oxford Companion to American Literature (6 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Henry James's novel The Portrait of a Lady studies an American girl, Isabel Archer, in the unfamiliar context of Europe Go to Portrait of a Lady, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1883	Mark Twain's autobiographical book Life on the Mississippi details his own personal involvement with the great river Go to Life on the Mississippi in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1884	Huck Finn and his friend Tom Sawyer continue their exploits on the Mississippi in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Go to Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1885	In his novel The Rise of Silas Lapham US author William Dean Howells follows the fortunes of a self-made man in Boston Go to Rise of Silas Lapham, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1886	US author Frances Hodgson Burnett publishes Little Lord Fauntleroy, featuring an aristocratic child in a velvet suit Go to Little Lord Fauntleroy in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1890	Poems is the first of six collections of Emily Dickinson's poetry, found among her papers on her death and published posthumously Go to Dickinson, Emily (1830–86) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1891	Herman Melville dies in obscurity in New York, with an unpublished manuscript of Billy Budd (not printed till 1924) Go to Billy Budd in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1892	Leaves of Grass, still growing, is published in its ninth edition in the year of Walt Whitman's death Go to Leaves of Grass in The Oxford Companion to the Book (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1893	US author Stephen Crane cannot find a publisher for his first novel, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, so issues it privately Go to Maggie: A Girl of the Streets in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1895	Stephen Crane succeeds handsomely with his second novel, The Red Badge of Courage, set in the American Civil War Go to Red Badge of Courage, The: An Episode of the American Civil War in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1896	The prolific US poet Edwin Arlington Robinson publishes The Torrent and the Night Before, his first poems about the fictional Tilbury Town Go to Robinson, E. A. (1869–1935) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1897	Henry James views the feckless adults in Maisie's life through the eyes of the child herself in What Maisie Knew Go to What Maisie Knew in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1898	Charlotte Perkins Gilman publishes Women and Economics, developing the feminist theme in US cultural and political life Go to Gilman, Charlotte Perkins (1860–1935) in The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Literature in English (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Politics North America United States
1899	US social scientist Thorstein Veblen publishes The Theory of the Leisure Class, an attack on capitalist exploitation and 'consumerism' Go to Veblen, Thorstein (1857–1929) in The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy (2 rev ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century Literature Literature in English Commerce and industry Society North America United States
1900	Frank Baum introduces children to Oz, in his book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Go to Wizard of Oz, The Wonderful (1900) in The Oxford Companion to English Literature (7 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States After a prodigiously productive career as novelist and journalist, Stephen Crane dies of tuberculosis at the age of 28 Go to Crane, Stephen (1871–1900) in The Oxford Companion to English Literature (7 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Joshua Slocum publishes Sailing Alone Around the World, an account of his famous 1895-8 circumnavigation Go to Slocum, Joshua (1844–c.1910) in The Oxford Companion to American Literature (6 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English Travel and transport Society North America United States Jack London's first collection of stories, The Son of the Wolf, brings him a wide readership Go to London, Jack Griffith (1876–1916) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Theodore Dreiser's first novel, Sister Carrie, receives no publicity because his publisher, Frank Doubleday, considers it immoral Go to Sister Carrie in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States The Voice of the People is the first of Ellen Glasgow's novels set in her native state, Virginia Go to Glasgow, Ellen (1874–1945) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 19th century 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1901	Frank Norris publishes The Octopus, the first of a projected trilogy of novels set in Southern California Go to Octopus, The: A Story of California in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1902	Edith Wharton's publishes her first full-length novel, The Valley of Decision Go to Valley of Decision, The in The Oxford Companion to American Literature (6 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US philosopher William James publishes his influential book The Varieties of Religious Experience Go to James, William (1842–1910) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English Philosophy North America United States Helen Keller's The Story of My Life begins publication in serial form Go to Keller, Helen Adams (1880–1968) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1903	US author Jack London publishes a novel, The Call of the Wild, in which a huge pet dog has alarming adventures Go to Call of the Wild, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Gertrude Stein leaves the USA to share with her brother an apartment in Paris that soon becomes a literary and artistic salon Go to Stein, Gertrude (3 Feb. 1874) in The Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (4 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1900s 20th century Literature French literature Literature in English Europe France North America United States US author W.E.B. Du Bois publishes his first collection of essays, The Souls of Black Folk Go to Du Bois, W. E. B. (1868–1963) in A Dictionary of Critical Theory (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States The Pit, the second volume of an uncompleted trilogy by US novelist Frank Norris, is published posthumously Go to Pit, The: A Story of Chicago in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1904	Helen Keller overcomes deafness and blindness to graduate cum laude at Radcliffe College in the USA Go to Keller, Helen Adams (1880–1968) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1905	Edith Wharton publishes the novel that brings her fame and fortune, The House of Mirth Go to House of Mirth, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US philosopher George Santayana publishes the first of the five volumes of his Life of Reason Go to Santayana, George (1863–1952) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English Philosophy North America United States Thomas Dixon's popular novel The Clansman presents the Ku Klux Klan in heroic terms Go to Clansman, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1906	Upton Sinclair publishes The Jungle, a hard-hitting novel about the Chicago meat-packing industry Go to Jungle, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1907	US philosopher William James publishes Pragmatism: a New Name for Old Ways of Thinking Go to Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English Philosophy North America United States
1908	Jack London's novel Iron Heel foresees a future repressive capitalist regime in the USA Go to Iron Heel, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Ezra Pound's first book of poems, A Lume Spento, is published in Italy Go to Pound, Ezra (1885–1972) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States Lucy Maud Montgomery's first novel, Anne of Green Gables, brings her instant fame and fortune Go to Anne of Green Gables (1908) in The Oxford Companion to Canadian History (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1909	Jack London publishes his most autobiographical novel, Martin Eden Go to London, Jack (1876–1916) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1900s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1911	Frances Hodgson Burnett publishes The Secret Garden, which becomes a classic of children's literature Go to Children of the Chapel of Paul's in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1912	Renascence is the title poem in college student Edna St Vincent Millay's first published collection Go to Millay, Edna St. Vincent (1892–1950) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1913	In O Pioneers Willa Cather finds her major theme, life on the frontier Go to Cather, Willa (1873–1947) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States In Pollyanna Eleanor Porter introduces an immensely successful character, the irrepressibly optimistic orphan Pollyanna Whittier Go to Porter, Eleanor Hodgman (1868–1920) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US poet Robert Frost publishes his first book of poems, A Boy's Will Go to Frost, Robert (1874–1963) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States Edith Wharton's novel The Custom of the Country begins publication in serial form Go to Wharton, Edith (1862–1937) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1914	The Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral makes her name with her first collection, Sonetos de la muerte Go to Mistral, Gabriela (1889–1957) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Poetry China Latin America Chile South America Tarzan makes his first appearance in Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel Tarzan of the Apes Go to Burroughs, Edgar Rice (1875–1950) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States The first issue of the weekly journal The New Republic is published in the USA Go to New Republic, The (1914–) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States American-born poet Thomas Stearns Eliot crosses the Atlantic to England, making it his home for the rest of his life Go to Eliot, T. S. (1888–1965) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature English literature Literature in English Great Britain - from 1707 United Kingdom - from 1801 British Isles Europe Britain North America United States The poem 'Mending Wall' features in Robert Frost's collection North of Boston Go to Frost, Robert (1874–1963) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States Margaret Anderson publishes in Chicago the first issue of The Little Review, a monthly literary magazine Go to Little Review, The (1914–29) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States The American writer Amy Lowell publishes an Imagist collection of poems, Sword Blades and Poppy Seed Go to Lowell, Amy (1874–1925) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States The Swedish-American poet Carl Sandburg makes his name with 'Chicago', published in the magazine Poetry Go to Sandburg, Carl (1878–1967) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1915	Australian author C.J. Dennis creates the Sentimental Bloke, featuring first in a book of poems and four years later in a film Go to Dennis, (Clarence Michael James) C. J. (1876–1938) in The Oxford Companion to Australian History (1 rev ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry Australia and Oceania Australia US novelist Ernest Poole publishes The Harbor, set on the Brooklyn waterfront Go to Poole, Ernest (1880–1950) in The Oxford Companion to American Literature (6 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Edgar Lee Masters makes his name as a poet with the publication of Spoon River Anthology Go to Masters, Edgar Lee (1868?–1950) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1916	Earth's the right place for love' in Robert Frost's 'Birches', included in his collection Mountain Interval Go to Frost, Robert (1874–1963) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States The Imagist poet H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) publishes her first collection, Sea Garden Go to Doolittle, Hilda (1886–1961) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1917	The first annual prizes are awarded, under the terms of Joseph Pulitzer's will, for the best new US novel, play, history and biography Go to Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism and Letters in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1918	In My Antonia Willa Cather's heroine survives setbacks on the Nebraska frontier Go to Cather, Willa (1873–1947) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1919	Quia Pauper Amavi contains the first three of Ezra Pound's eventually more than 100 cantos Go to Pound, Ezra (1885–1972) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States H.L. Mencken's The American Language traces the gradual evolution of American from English Go to Mencken, H[enry] L[ouis] (1880–1956) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States Sherwood Anderson establishes a reputation with a collection of short stories, Winesburg, Ohio Go to Anderson, Sherwood (1876–1941) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1910s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1920	Ezra Pound publishes Hugh Selwyn Mauberley, a poem that reflects on the practice of poetry itself Go to Pound, Ezra (1885–1972) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States Edith Wharton publishes her best-known novel, The Age of Innocence Go to Wharton, Edith (1862–1937) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States The publication of Scott FitzGerald's first novel, This Side of Paradise, brings him instant success Go to Fitzgerald, F[rancis] Scott (1896–1940) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States D.H. Lawrence's Women in Love, a continuation of the family story in The Rainbow, is published first in the USA Go to Lawrence, D(avid) H(erbert) (1885–1930) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 20th century Literature English literature Literature in English Fiction Great Britain - from 1707 United Kingdom - from 1801 British Isles Europe Britain North America United States The American novelist Sinclair Lewis has his first major success with Main Street, an unflattering portrayal of American village life Go to Lewis, [Harry] Sinclair (1885–1951) in The Oxford Companion to American Literature (6 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1921	Marianne Moore calls her first published collection simply Poems Go to Moore, Marianne (1887–1972) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States Eugene O'Neill's play Anna Christie is performed in New York Go to O'Neill, Eugene (1888–1953) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States
1922	The US architectural critic Lewis Mumford publishes The Story of Utopias, the first of his many influential works Go to Mumford, Lewis (1895–) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States Sinclair Lewis creates an archetypal character in George Folanshee Babbitt, a real-estate broker in the Midwestern town of Zenith Go to Babbitt in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1923	Argentinian author Jorge Luis Borges publishes his first collection of poems, Fervor de Buenos Aires ('Fervour of Buenos Aires') Go to Borges, Jorge Luis (1899–1986) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Poetry Latin America Argentina Brazil South America Wallace Stevens' first collection, Harmonium, sells 100 copies Go to Stevens, Wallace (1879–1955) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States Robert Frost publishes a new collection of poems, New Hampshire Go to Frost, Robert (1874–1963) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States The US poet e.e. cummings publishes his first collection, Tulips and Chimneys Go to Cummings, E[dward] E[stlin] (1894–1962) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States US poet Edna St Vincent Millay publishes The Harp-Weaver and Other Poems Go to Millay, Edna St. Vincent (1892–1950) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States US dramatist Elmer Rice establishes his reputation with The Adding Machine, an expressionistic drama about the machine age Go to Rice, Elmer (1892–1967) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States Bernard Shaw's play Saint Joan has its world premiere in New York Go to Shaw, Bernard (1856–1950) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature English literature Literature in English Drama Great Britain - from 1707 United Kingdom - from 1801 British Isles Europe Britain North America United States
1924	US poet Robinson Jeffers publishes his first successful collection, Tamar and Other Poems Go to Jeffers, Robinson (1887–1962) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States 20-year-old Chilean poet Pablo Neruda publishes one of his best-known collections, Twenty Love Poems Go to Neruda, Pablo (1904–1973) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Poetry China Latin America Chile South America US poet E.A. Robinson publishes a narrative poem, The Man Who Died Twice, about the dissipation of artistic talent Go to Robinson, Edwin Arlington (1869–1935) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1925	Harold Ross founds The New Yorker as a humorous weekly, and remains in charge of it until his death in 1951 Go to New Yorker, The (1925–) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States Scott FitzGerald publishes his novel The Great Gatsby, set in a contemporary world of lavish indulgence underpinned by crime Go to Fitzgerald, F[rancis] Scott (1896–1940) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States DuBose Heyward publishes his first novel, Porgy, set in Charleston's Catfish Row Go to Heyward, Dubose (1885–1940) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States A round table at the Algonquin Hotel in New York becomes famous for its collection of wits Go to Algonquin Round Table in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1926	Soldiers Pay is the first published novel of the Mississippi author William Faulkner Go to Faulkner William (1897–1962) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Dorothy Parker has a best-seller with her first collection of verse, Enough Rope Go to Parker, Dorothy Rothschild (1893–1967) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States US author Ernest Hemingway succeeds with his second novel, The Sun also Rises (also known as Fiesta) Go to Sun Also Rises, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1927	Mae West is sentenced to eight days in gaol when Sex, written, produced and starred in by herself on Broadway, is judged to be obscene Go to Mae West in A New Dictionary of Eponyms (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Performing arts Literature Drama Social and domestic Society North America United States US author Thornton Wilder achieves world-wide success with his second novel, The Bridge of San Luis Rey Go to Bridge of San Luis Rey, The in The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Literature in English (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy, dramatized with a new title by himself and his wife Dorothy, has a great success on Broadway and in London Go to Porgy (1927) in The Oxford Companion to American Theatre (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States Irish author Frank Harris publishes the fourth and final volume of My Life and Loves Go to Harris, Frank (1856–1931) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States Don Marquis publishes archy and mehitabel, the first collection of his sketches about archy the cockroach and mehitabel the alley cat Go to archy and mehitabel in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States Mysterious German author B. Traven writes a novel, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, about three Americans searching for a lost gold mine in Mexico Go to Traven, B. in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Fiction Latin America Central America Mexico
1928	Stephen V. Benét publishes a verse narrative of the Civil War under the title John Brown's Body Go to Benét, Stephen Vincent (1898–1943) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States The Front Page, by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, has its premiere on Broadway Go to Front Page, The in The Oxford Dictionary of Plays (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States US anthropologist Margaret Mead makes much of trouble-free sex among natives, in Coming of Age in Samoa, but her findings are subsequently disputed Go to Mead, Margaret (1901–1978) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English Science Australia and Oceania Pacific Islands North America United States
1929	Sartoris is the first of 14 novels by William Faulkner set in his fictional Yoknapatawpha County Go to Sartoris family in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Ernest Hemingway publishes A Farewell to Arms, closely reflecting his own wartime experiences Go to Farewell to Arms, A in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US author Thomas Wolfe publishes an autobiographical first novel, Look Homeward, Angel Go to Look Homeward, Angel: A Story of the Buried Life in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1920s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1930	US author Marc Connelly's play Green Pastures has its premiere on Broadway Go to Green Pastures, The in The Oxford Dictionary of Plays (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States US crime-writer Dashiell Hammett publishes The Maltese Falcon, the novel in which he introduces his sardonic private eye, Sam Spade Go to Spade, Sam in The Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States In his novel As I Lay Dying William Faulkner follows the journey of a coffin in a mule-drawn wagon Go to As I Lay Dying in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US author John Dos Passos publishes the first novel of his trilogy The 42nd Parallel Go to 42nd Parallel, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1931	US critic Edmund Wilson publishes Axel's Castle, a collection of essays about writers in the symbolist tradition Go to Axel's Castle in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States The US poet Ogden Nash has an immediate success with his first volume of poems, Hard Lines Go to Nash, Ogden (1902–71) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States The trilogy Mourning becomes Electra, Eugene O'Neill's transposition to New England of the Oresteia story, is performed in New York Go to Mourning Becomes Electra in The Oxford Dictionary of Plays (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States
1932	Ernest Hemingway, an aficionado of the sport, publishes Death in the Afternoon, a non-fiction account of bullfighting in Spain Go to Death in the Afternoon in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States US novelist Erskine Caldwell publishes Tobacco Road, about white sharecroppers coping with poverty and desperation in Georgia Go to Tobacco Road in The Oxford Companion to American Literature (6 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Young Lonigan: a Boyhood in Chicago Streets is the first novel in James T. Farrell's Studs Lonigan trilogy Go to Young Lonigan: A Boyhood in Chicago Streets in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US author Damon Runyon publishes his first collection of stories about low-life New York, under the title Guys and Dolls Go to Runyon (884–1946) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1933	Pablo Neruda increases his international reputation with a collection of surrealist poems, Residencia en la tierra ('Residence on earth') Go to Neruda, Pablo (1904–1973) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Poetry China Latin America Chile South America In My Life and Hard Times James Thurber's publishes an affectionate account of his family, including the night the bed fell on his father Go to Thurber, James Grover (1894–1961) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Gertrude Stein publishes a best-selling account of her own life under the title The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas Go to Toklas, Alice B[abette] (1877–1967) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature French literature Literature in English Europe France North America United States Erskine Caldwell publishes a novel, God's Little Acre, about a farmer obsessed with finding gold on his farm Go to God's Little Acre in The Oxford Companion to American Literature (6 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States 19-year-old Mexican poet Octavio Paz publishes his first collection, Wild Moon Go to Paz, Octavio (1914–1998) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Poetry Latin America Central America Mexico
1934	US author Scott Fitzgerald publishes his novel Tender Is the Night Go to Tender Is the Night in The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Literature in English (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US author Henry Miller publishes in Paris a largely sexual autobiography, Tropic of Cancer, about his life as an expatriate Go to Tropic of Cancer in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature French literature Literature in English Fiction Europe France North America United States In Lillian Hellman's play The Children's Hour two teachers are maliciously accused of lesbianism by one of their pupils Go to Children's Hour, The in The Oxford Dictionary of Plays (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States
1935	Tortilla Flat brings success for the US novelist John Steinbeck Go to Tortilla Flat in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Argentinian author Jorge Luis Borges publishes A Universal History of Infamy, one of the first examples of magic realism Go to magic realism in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Fiction Latin America Argentina South America
1936	US author Margaret Mitchell publishes her one book, which becomes probably the best-selling novel of all time – Gone with the Wind Go to Gone with the Wind in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States William Faulkner's novel Absalom, Absalom! chronicles the violently destructive rise and fall of a poor Southern white, Thomas Sutpen Go to Absalom, Absalom! in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States French-born US author Anaïs Nin publishes her first novel, The House of Incest Go to Nin, Anaïs (1903–77) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1937	John Steinbeck publishes Of Mice and Men, a novel about two itinerant farm labourers in California Go to Of Mice and Men in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1938	Thornton Wilder's play Our Town opens on Broadway Go to Our Town in The Oxford Dictionary of Plays (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States Delmore Schwartz publishes his first book of poems, In Dreams Begin Responsibilities Go to Schwartz, Delmore (1913–68) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1939	W.H. Auden and Christopher Isherwood emigrate together to the USA, later becoming US citizens Go to Isherwood, Christopher (1904–86) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature English literature Literature in English Great Britain - from 1707 United Kingdom - from 1801 British Isles Europe Britain North America United States US author Henry Miller publishes in Paris Tropic of Capricorn, about his adolescence in New York Go to Miller, Henry (1891–1980) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature French literature Literature in English Fiction Europe France North America United States James Thurber publishes his short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Go to Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath follows the Joad family, sharecroppers who are forced to move west to escape the horrors of the Dust Bowl Go to Grapes of Wrath, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US crime-writer Raymond Chandler publishes his first novel, The Big Sleep, introducing the hard-boiled detective Philip Marlowe Go to Chandler, Raymond (1888–1959) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1930s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1940	German novelist Thomas Mann takes US citizenship and in 1941 moves to California Go to Mann, Thomas (1875–1955) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States US author Richard Wright publishes Native Son, his semi-autobiographical novel about racial equality Go to Native Son in The Concise Oxford Companion to African American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Ernest Hemingway publishes the novel For Whom the Bell Tolls, set in the Spanish Civil War Go to For Whom the Bell Tolls in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US author Carson McCullers publishes her first novel, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter Go to Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States In To the Finland Station Edmund Wilson discusses the development of socialism and revolution, culminating in Lenin and Trotsky Go to To the Finland Station in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Literature in English Communism Finland North America United States
1941	Scott Fitzgerald's final and incomplete novel, The Last Tycoon, is published posthumously Go to Last Tycoon, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Agee and Evans give a warm personal view of America in Let Us Now Praise Famous Men Go to Let Us Now Praise Famous Men in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Literature in English Social and domestic Society North America United States US author Eudora Welty publishes her first collection of stories, A Curtain of Green Go to Welty, Eudora (1909–2001) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
c. 1942	US poet Ezra Pound, in Italy during the war, broadcasts Fascist propaganda aimed at the United States Go to Pound, Ezra (1885–1972) in A Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Art (2 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Literature in English Italian literature Poetry Europe Italy North America United States US poet Randall Jarrell publishes his first collection, Blood for a Stranger Go to Jarrell, Randall (1914–65) in The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Literature in English (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States Thornton Wilder's play The Skin of our Teeth has a mixed reception at its New Haven premiere Go to Skin of Our Teeth, The in The Oxford Dictionary of Plays (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States
1944	Saul Bellow publishes his first novel, Dangling Man, a study of an intellectual adrift as he waits to be drafted into the army Go to Dangling Man in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Boston writer Robert Lowell publishes his first book of poems, Land of Unlikeness Go to Lowell, Robert (1917–77) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States Jorge Luis Borges publishes Fictions, a collection of short stories Go to Borges, Jorge Luis (1899–1986) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Fiction Latin America Argentina South America The separate poems forming T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets are brought together for the first time as a single volume, published in New York Go to Eliot, T. S. (1888–1965) in World Encyclopedia (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature English literature Literature in English Poetry Great Britain - from 1707 United Kingdom - from 1801 British Isles Europe Britain North America United States
1945	US dramatist Tennessee Williams has his first success with The Glass Menagerie Go to Glass Menagerie, The in The Oxford Dictionary of Plays (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States Russian-born novelist Vladimir Nabokov becomes a US citizen Go to Nabokov, Vladimir (1899–1977) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States Richard Wright publishes Black Boy, an account of his early life in Mississippi and then Chicago Go to Black Boy in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1946	Eudora Welty sets her novel Delta Wedding in a contemporary southern plantation Go to Welty, Eudora (1909–2001) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh, set in a down-and-out bar of the kind he had known in his youth, is performed in New York Go to Iceman Cometh, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States Robert Lowell's second collection, Lord Weary's Castle, contains 'The Quaker Graveyard in Nantucket' and 'Mr Edwards and the Spider' Go to Lord Weary's Castle in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States Ezra Pound, charged with treason for his wartime broadcasts, begins twelve years in a US hospital for the criminally insane Go to Pound, Ezra Weston Loomis (1885–1972) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States US poet Elizabeth Bishop publishes her first collection of poems, North and South Go to Bishop, Elizabeth (1911–1979) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1947	Bertolt Brecht's play The Life of Galileo has its premiere in Los Angeles with Charles Laughton in the lead Go to Life of Galileo in The Oxford Dictionary of Plays (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English German literature Drama Germany North America United States Marlon Brando stars on Broadway in Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar named Desire Go to Streetcar Named Desire, A in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States
1948	Norman Mailer has immediate success with his first novel, The Naked and the Dead, based on his military service in the Pacific Go to Naked and the Dead, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US poet Theodore Roethke publishes The Lost Son, his second collection Go to Roethke, Theodore (1908–63) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States US novelist and poet Jack Kerouac coins a term for his contemporaries, the Beat Generation Go to Beat and Beat Generation in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction Poetry Social and domestic Society North America United States
1949	Annie Allen, by US author Gwendolyn Brooks, describes in narrative verse the life of a black girl in contemporary USA Go to Annie Allen in The Concise Oxford Companion to African American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States Death of a Salesman, by US playwright Arthur Miller, has its first performance in New York Go to Death of a Salesman in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1940s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States
1950	The Family Moskat, about a Jewish family in Warsaw, is the first of Isaac Bashevis Singer's books to be published in English Go to Singer, Isaac Bashevis (1904–) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction Europe Poland North America United States US sociologist David Riesman analyzes the American character in The Lonely Crowd Go to Riesman, David (1909–2002) in Dictionary of the Social Sciences (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Literature in English Social and domestic Society North America United States The Chilean poet Pablo Neruda publishes his epic account of South America and its people, Canto general Go to Neruda, Pablo (1904–1973) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Poetry China Latin America Chile South America
1951	German-born US philosopher Hannah Arendt links Hitler's and Stalin's regimes in The Origins of Totalitarianism Go to Arendt, Hannah (1906–1975) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States Catcher in the Rye is US author J.D. Salinger's immensely successful first novel Go to Catcher in the Rye, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US novelist Carson McCullers publishes a collection of stories, The Ballad of the Sad Café Go to McCullers, Carson (1917–67) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1952	US author Ralph Ellison publishes his first novel, Invisible Man, a Kafkaesque account of a black immigrant's life in New York Go to Ellison, Ralph (1914–1994) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Ernest Hemingway publishes The Old Man and the Sea, about an epic struggle between an aged Cuban fisherman and a gigantic marlin Go to Old Man and the Sea, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction Caribbean North America United States In his novel East of Eden John Steinbeck develops the biblical theme of Cain and Abel in a family saga set in California Go to East of Eden in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US clergyman Norman Vincent Peale has a best-seller in The Power of Positive Thinking Go to Peale, Norman Vincent (1898–1993) in The Oxford Companion to United States History (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1953	Saul Bellow publishes The Adventures of Augie March, a novel about the experiences of a young Chicago Jew Go to Bellow, Saul (1915–2005) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US author James Baldwin publishes his first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, set in Harlem Go to Baldwin, James (1924–1987) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States Arthur Miller's play The Crucible uses the Salem witch trials as a metaphor for the contemporary paranoia of McCarthyism Go to Crucible, The in The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Literature in English (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States
1955	Tennessee Williams' play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof opens on Broadway Go to Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in The Oxford Dictionary of Plays (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States Arthur Miller's play A View from the Bridge is performed in New York Go to View from the Bridge, A in The Oxford Dictionary of Plays (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States
1956	English poet Ted Hughes marries US poet Sylia Plath Go to Hughes, Ted (1930–1998) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature English literature Literature in English Poetry Great Britain - from 1707 United Kingdom - from 1801 British Isles Europe Britain North America United States Eugene O'Neill's searing account of tensions within his own family, Long Day's Journey into Night, has its premiere in Stockholm Go to Long Day's Journey into Night in The Oxford Dictionary of Plays (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States Lawrence Ferlinghetti is prosecuted and acquitted for publishing Allen Ginsberg's Howl Go to Ferlinghetti, Lawrence (1920– ) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1957	US novelist John Cheever publishes The Wapshot Chronicle, depicting a wealthy and eccentric family in Massachusetts Go to Cheever, John (1912–1982) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US novelist Mary McCarthy describes the religious pressures she grew up with in Memories of a Catholic Girlhood Go to McCarthy, Mary (1912–) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Literature in English Religion Christianity North America United States Jack Kerouac publishes a largely autobiographical novel, On the Road, describing his experiences travelling through the US and Mexico Go to McCarthy, Mary (1912–) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction Latin America Mexico North America United States In Syntactic Structures Noam Chomsky proposes the revolutionary theory that humans inherit an innate universal grammar Go to Chomsky, Noam Avram (1928– ) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Literature in English Science North America United States
1958	In The Affluent Society US economist John Kenneth Galbraith criticizes wasteful modern consumerism Go to Galbraith, John Kenneth (1908–2006) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Literature in English Commerce and industry Society North America United States Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita is published in Paris Go to Lolita in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature French literature Literature in English Fiction Europe France North America United States Truman Capote publishes a short novel, Breakfast at Tiffany's, with a bewitching central character, Holly Golightly Go to Breakfast at Tiffany's in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Nigerian dramatist Wole Soyinka's play The Swamp Dwellers is produced in London Go to Soyinka, Wole (1934– ) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English German literature Drama Africa West Africa Germany
1959	Saul Bellow publishes Henderson the Rain King, in which an American millionaire acquires a strange role in an African tribe Go to Henderson the Rain King in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US author William Burroughs' Naked Lunch, an account of the horrors of a junkie's life, is published in Paris Go to Naked Lunch, The in The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Literature in English (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Philip Roth publishes his first book, Goodbye, Columbus, a novella and five short stories Go to Roth, Philip (1933– ) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1950s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1960	The Colossus is US author Sylvia Plath's first collection of poems Go to Plath, Sylvia (1932–63) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States Flower, Fist and Bestial Wail is the first of many collections of poems by US poet Charles Bukowski Go to Bukowski, Charles (1920–1994) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States US author Harper Lee publishes her first and only novel, To Kill a Mockingbird Go to Lee, Harper (1926– ) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US novelist John Barth publishes The Sot-Weed Factor, a picaresque life of Edmund Cook set on a family tobacco plantation in Maryland Go to Sot-Weed Factor, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States US author John Updike begins to chart the fictional progress of Harry Angstrom, known as Rabbit, in Rabbit, Run Go to Ballou, Adin (1803–90) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1961	Political activist Jane Jacobs publishes an influential polemic, The Death and Life of Great American Cities Go to Jacobs, Jane Butzner (1916–2006) in A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (2 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Politics North America United States J.D. Salinger publishes Franny and Zooey, the second of his collections of stories about the Glass family Go to Barefoot Boy, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US author Joseph Heller publishes his first novel, Catch-22, set in the last months of World War II Go to Catch-22 in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States The novelist Ernest Hemingway kills himself with a shotgun in his log cabin in Idaho Go to Hemingway, Ernest Miller (1898–1961) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1962	James Baldwin's third novel Another Country explores the conflicts in the life of a young unemployed black musician Go to Baldwin, James (1924–1987) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States John Ashbery's radical collection The Tennis Court Oath includes poems composed of sliced up fragments Go to Ashbery, John (1927–) in The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Poetry in English (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States The Reivers, the last of William Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha novels, is published just a month before his death Go to Reivers, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US dramatist Edward Albee's play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opens on Broadway Go to Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf in The Oxford Dictionary of Plays (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States In Pale Fire Vladimir Nabokov tells his story through an editor's annotations to a poem Go to Pale Fire in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States In The Gutenberg Galaxy Canadian author Marshall McLuhan develops the concept of the 'global village' Go to McLuhan, Marshall (1911–1980) in Dictionary of the Social Sciences (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Social and domestic Society North America Canada
1963	US poet Sylvia Plath publishes under a pseudonym her only novel, The Bell Jar Go to Bell Jar, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US poet Sylvia Plath commits suicide in London Go to Plath, Sylvia (1932–1963) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature English literature Literature in English Great Britain - from 1707 United Kingdom - from 1801 British Isles Europe Britain North America United States Mary McCarthy's novel The Group follows the subsequent adventures of eight fellow graduates from Vassar Go to McCarthy, Mary (1912–89) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US environmentist Rachel Carson publishes Silent Spring, an impassioned warning of ecological disaster Go to Carson, Rachel (1907–1964) in The Oxford Companion to United States History (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Science Life sciences North America United States US author and illustrator Maurice Sendak publishes a fantasy for young children, Where the Wild Things Are Go to Where the Wild Things Are (1963) in The Oxford Companion to English Literature (7 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States In The Feminine Mystique US feminist Betty Friedan challenges the stereotypical view of woman's role Go to Friedan, Betty (1921–2006) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Social and domestic Society North America United States
1964	US poet John Berryman's 77 Dream Songs introduce Henry, his alter ego Go to Berryman, John (1914–72) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States Robert Lowell's For the Union Dead takes its title from the last poem, about modern disregard for a Civil War monument Go to For the Union Dead in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States New Zealand poet Fleur Adcock publishes her first collection, The Eye of the Hurricane Go to Adcock, Fleur (1934–) in The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Poetry in English (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry Australia and Oceania New Zealand US author Joyce Carol Oates publishes her first novel, With Shuddering Fall Go to Oates, Joyce Carol (1938– ) in The Oxford Companion to English Literature (7 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US author Saul Bellow publishes Herzog, a novel featuring a professor of history who is a compulsive sender of messages Go to Herzog in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Canadian author Marshall McLuhan declares, in Understanding Media, that 'the medium is the message' Go to McLuhan, Marshall (1911–1980) in Dictionary of the Social Sciences (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America Canada
1965	Neil Simon's play The Odd Couple is produced in New York Go to Odd Couple, The in The Oxford Dictionary of Plays (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States US author Randall Jarrell's poem The Lost World provides the title for his last published book Go to Jarrell, Randall (1914–65) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States Based on interviews given to Alex Haley in 1964, a life of Malcolm X is published soon after his assassination Go to Haley, Alex (1921–) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1966	US author Susan Sontag publishes her first collection of essays, Against Interpretation Go to Sontag, Susan (1933–2004) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1967	US poet Anne Sexton publishes Live or Die, a collection containing a poem to her dead friend Sylvia Plath Go to Sexton, Anne (1928–74) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez publishes a classic of magic realism, One Hundred Years of Solitude Go to García Márquez, Gabriel (1928– ) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Fiction Latin America South America US author William Styron's novel The Confessions of Nat Turner describes a historical slave revolt in 1831 Go to Confessions of Nat Turner, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1968	Ezra Pound publishes his last collection of cantos, Drafts and Fragments of Cantos CX - CXVII Go to Cantos, The in The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Literature in English (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Italian literature Poetry Europe Italy North America United States Norman Mailer publishes The Armies of the Night, based on his experiences on an anti-Vietnam demonstration in Washington in October 1967 Go to Armies of the Night, The in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States Gore Vidal publishes Myra Breckenridge, featuring a lively transsexual as the central character Go to Vidal, Gore (1925– ) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1969	US novelist Philip Roth publishes Portnoy's Complaint, a monologue in which the hero gives his psychoanalyst a frank description of his sexual frustrations Go to Portnoy's Complaint in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Space-traveller Billy Pilgrim suffers horrors in Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse-Five Go to Slaughterhouse-Five; or The Children's Crusade. A Duty-Dance with Death in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Canadian author Margaret Atwood publishes her first novel, The Edible Woman Go to Atwood, Margaret Eleanor (1939– ) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1960s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America Canada United States
1970	US author Maya Angelou publishes her autobiographical first novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Go to I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Literature in English (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1970s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Australian author David Malouf is first published as a poet, with his collection Bicycle and Other Poems Go to Malouf, David (1934– ) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1970s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry Australia and Oceania Australia US feminist Kate Millett's Sexual Politics is her doctoral dissertation on the exploitation of women Go to Millett, Kate (1934) in A Dictionary of Critical Theory (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1970s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1973	Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow conjures up weird events in wartime London Go to Pynchon, Thomas (1937–) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1970s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US author Stephen King publishes Carrie, the first of his many best-selling horror novels Go to King, Stephen (1947) in The Oxford Companion to American Literature (6 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1970s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US author Erica Jong publishes her first novel, Fear of Flying Go to Jong, Erica (1942) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1970s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1975	US author E.L. Doctorow sets his novel Ragtime in the early years of the 20th century Go to Doctorow, E[dgar] L[awrence] (1931–) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1970s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Canadian novelist Robertson Davies completes his semi-autobiographical Deptford Trilogy Go to Davies, Robertson (1913–95) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1970s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America Canada
1976	Black American author Alex Haley traces his family origins in Africa in Roots Go to Haley, Alex (1921–1992) in The Concise Oxford Companion to African American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1970s 20th century Literature Literature in English North America United States
1978	US author John Irving has wide success with his novel The World According to Garp Go to Irving, John (1942–) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1970s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1980	US author Sam Shepard's play True West has its premiere in New York Go to Shepard, Sam (1943–) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1980s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States
1982	Chilean author Isabel Allende publishes her first novel, The House of the Spirits Go to Allende, Isabel (1942– ) in The Oxford Companion to English Literature (7 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1980s 20th century Literature Fiction China Latin America Chile South America Little Shop of Horrors, by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, opens in New York Go to Little Shop of Horrors (1982) in The Oxford Companion to American Theatre (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1980s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States
1984	US poet Robert Pinsky publishes an acclaimed verse translation, The Inferno of Dante Go to Pinsky, Robert (1940–) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1980s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States
1985	US author Don DeLillo publishes a novel of weird disasters, White Noise Go to DeLillo, Don (1936– ) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1980s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Gabriel García Márquez publishes Love in a Time of Cholera, a novel about love rekindled after five decades Go to García Márquez, Gabriel (1928– ) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1980s 20th century Literature Fiction Latin America South America
1987	Timberlake Wertenbaker bases her play Our Country's Good on Thomas Keneally's novel The Playmaker Go to Wertenbaker, Timberlake (1951– ) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1980s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States US author Toni Morrison publishes her novel Beloved, loosely based on a real incident among freed slaves after the Civil War Go to Morrison, Toni (1931– ) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1980s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US author Tom Wolfe gives a bleak view of contemporary New York in his novel The Bonfire of the Vanities Go to Wolfe, Tom (1931–) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1980s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States
1988	M. Butterfly, by US author and composer David Henry Hwang, uses Puccini's opera as its inspiration Go to Hwang, David Henry (1957– ) in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1980s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States
1991	Canadian poet and novelist Michael Ondaatje publishes The English Patient Go to Ondaatje, Michael (1943– ) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1990s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America Canada
1992	US author Jane Smiley retells the Lear story in A Thousand Acres Go to Smiley, Jane (1951– ) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1990s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States US-born Canadian author Carol Shields' novel The Republic of Love is set in her home town of Winnipeg Go to Shields, Carol (1935–2003) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1990s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America Canada David Mamet's play Oleanna dramatizes the ambiguities of sexual politics Go to Mamet, David Alan (1947– ) in Who's Who in the Twentieth Century (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1990s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States All the Pretty Horses is the first volume of US author Cormac McCarthy's trilogy set in Mexico Go to McCarthy, Cormac (1933) in The Oxford Companion to American Literature (6 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1990s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction Latin America Mexico North America United States
1993	US author A.R. Ammons publishes a book-length poem, Garbage, typed on narrow strips of adding-machine paper Go to Ammons, A[rchie] R[andolph] (1926–2001) in The Oxford Companion to American Literature (6 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1990s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States US author Annie Proulx wins major awards with her second novel, The Shipping News Go to Proulx, E. Annie (1935– ) in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1990s 20th century Literature Literature in English Fiction North America United States Millennium Approaches, the first part of Tony Kushner's Angels in America, is premiered in London Go to Kushner, Tony (1956– ) in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1990s 20th century Performing arts Theatre Literature Literature in English Drama North America United States
1995	US poet Philip Levine wins a Pulitzer Prize with his volume of poems Simple Truth Go to Levine, Philip (1928–) in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed.) See this event in other timelines: 1990s 20th century Literature Literature in English Poetry North America United States

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date: 24 June 2025

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