Thomas Wolfe

This article is about the early 20th-century writer. For the late 20th- and early 21st-century writer, see Tom Wolfe. For other uses, see Thomas Wolf.

Thomas Wolfe
Portrait by Carl Van Vechten, 1937
Portrait by Carl Van Vechten, 1937
BornThomas Clayton Wolfe
(1900-10-03)October 3, 1900
Asheville, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedSeptember 15, 1938(1938-09-15) (aged 37)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Resting placeRiverside Cemetery, Asheville
OccupationAuthor
Alma mater
Genre
  • Fiction
  • drama
Notable works
Signature

Thomas Clayton Wolfe (October 3, 1900 – September 15, 1938) was a major American novelist of the first half of the 20th century.[1][2] His enduring reputation rests largely on his first novel, Look Homeward, Angel (1929), and on the short fiction that appeared during the last years of his life.[1] He was one of the first masters of autobiographical fiction, and along with William Faulkner, he is considered one of the most important authors of the Southern Renaissance within the American literary canon.[3] He is North Carolina's most famous writer.[4]

Wolfe wrote four long novels as well as many short stories, dramatic works, and novellas. He is known for mixing highly original, poetic, rhapsodic, and impressionistic prose with autobiographical writing. His books, written and published from the 1920s to the 1940s, vividly reflect on the American culture and mores of that period, filtered through Wolfe's sensitive and uncomfortable perspective.

After Wolfe's death, Faulkner said that he might have been the greatest talent of their generation, aiming higher than any other writer.[2][5] Faulkner's endorsement, however, failed to win over mid to late 20th century critics and for a time Wolfe's place in the literary canon was questioned. However, 21st century academics have largely rejected this negative assessment, and a more positive and balanced assessment has emerged, combining renewed interest in his works, particularly his short fiction, with greater appreciation of his experimentation with literary forms, which has secured Wolfe a place in the literary canon.[1]

Wolfe had great influence on Jack Kerouac, and his influence extended to other postwar authors such as Ray Bradbury and Philip Roth, among others.[6]

  1. ^ a b c Robert, Terry (January 18, 2011). "Wolfe, Thomas". In Shaffer, Brian W.; Ball, John Clement; O'Donnell, Patrick (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century Fiction, 3 Volume Set. Wiley. p. 918. ISBN 978-1-4051-9244-6.
  2. ^ a b Reeves, Paschal (1974) [1974]. Thomas Wolfe, The Critical Reception. Ayer Publishing. p. xvii. ISBN 0-89102-050-0.
  3. ^ Millichap, Joseph R. (2021). "Chapter 3: Thomas Wolfe's Southern Railroad: Look Homeward, Angel and Beyond". Dixie Limited: Railroads, Culture, and the Southern Renaissance. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813193731.
  4. ^ "2008 Thomas Wolfe Prize". Cornell University. September 9, 2008. Retrieved November 10, 2009.
  5. ^ "Thomas Wolfe's Final Journal". Virginia Quarterly Review. August 14, 2009. Archived from the original on December 7, 2009. Retrieved November 10, 2009.
  6. ^ "The Book That Made Me A Reader: Philip Roth". centerforfiction.org. Archived from the original on August 11, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2018.