Henry James OM (15 April 1843 – 28 February 1916) was an American-born British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the son of Henry James Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James.

Henry James

OM



James in 1913

Born15 April 1843

New York City, U.S.Died28 February 1916 (aged 72)

Chelsea, London, EnglandOccupationWriterCitizenshipAmerican (1843–1915)

British (1915–1916)Alma materHarvard Law SchoolPeriod1863–1916Notable worksThe American

The Turn of the Screw

The Portrait of a Lady

What Maisie Knew

The Wings of the Dove

Daisy Miller

The Ambassadors

The Bostonians

Washington Square

The Golden BowlRelativesHenry James Sr. (father)

William James (brother)

Alice James (sister)Signature

He is best known for his novels dealing with the social and marital interplay between émigré Americans, English people, and continental Europeans. Examples of such novels include The Portrait of a Lady, The Ambassadors, and The Wings of the Dove. His later works were increasingly experimental. In describing the internal states of mind and social dynamics of his characters, James often made use of a style in which ambiguous or contradictory motives and impressions were overlaid or juxtaposed in the discussion of a character's psyche. For their unique ambiguity, as well as for other aspects of their composition, his late works have been compared to impressionist painting.

His novella The Turn of the Screw has garnered a reputation as the most analysed and ambiguous ghost story in the English language, and remains his most widely adapted work in other media. He also wrote a number of other highly regarded ghost stories, and is considered one of the greatest masters of the field.

James published articles and books of criticism, travel, biography, autobiography, and plays. Born in the United States, James largely relocated to Europe as a young man, and eventually settled in England, becoming a British citizen in 1915, a year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916.[1]