Arlo Bates

Born in East Machias, Maine, on December 16, 1850, he studied at Bowdoin College and went on to build a varied literary life as an author, editor, and educator. He wrote poetry, novels, essays, and criticism, earning a reputation as a steady and versatile man of letters.

From 1880 to 1893, he served as editor of the Boston Sunday Courier, a role that placed him at the center of a lively literary scene. After that, he taught English at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, continuing to influence readers and students alike through both his teaching and his writing.

He died in Boston on August 25, 1918. Though not as widely read today as some of his contemporaries, his work reflects the broad literary interests of his era and the close connection between journalism, scholarship, and creative writing in late nineteenth-century America.