Harold Frederic

Born in Utica, New York, in 1856, he first built his reputation as a journalist before turning to fiction. His reporting career helped shape the clear, observant style that runs through his novels and stories.

He is most often remembered for The Damnation of Theron Ware (1896), a novel praised for its keen look at religion, small-town life, and personal illusion. He also wrote historical fiction and political novels, including In the Valley and Gloria Mundi.

Later in life he lived in London, working as a correspondent while continuing to write books for American and British readers. Although he died relatively young in 1898, his work has endured for its realism, irony, and penetrating view of human motives.