author
Heman White Chaplin
1847–1924
A Harvard-educated lawyer who turned everyday New England life into warm, witty fiction, this late-19th-century American writer is best known for stories shaped by coastal villages, local speech, and quiet humor. His work appeared in major magazines of the day and still feels closely observed and human.
7 Audiobooks
The New Minister's Great Opportunity First published in the "Century Magazine"
by Heman White Chaplin
By The Sea 1887
by Heman White Chaplin
Saint Patrick 1887
by Heman White Chaplin
The Village Convict First published in the "Century Magazine"
by Heman White Chaplin
Eli First published in the "Century Magazine"
by Heman White Chaplin
Five Hundred Dollars First published in the "Century Magazine"
by Heman White Chaplin
In Madeira Place 1887
by Heman White Chaplin
About the author
Born in 1847, Heman White Chaplin was an American lawyer and short-story writer. Contemporary reference sources describe him as a writer from Rhode Island who later worked as a lawyer, and Harvard class records place him in the Harvard class of 1867.
Chaplin wrote fiction as well as magazine pieces, sometimes using the pseudonyms C. H. White and H. W. C. His stories appeared in Harper's Monthly and The Century Magazine, and several of his best-known works were gathered in Five Hundred Dollars, and Other Stories of New England Life (1887). Other titles associated with him include By the Sea, Saint Patrick, Eli, In Madeira Place, The New Minister's Great Opportunity, and The Village Convict.
What makes his writing stand out is its feel for place. Again and again, Chaplin returned to New England settings—especially small coastal communities—and wrote about ordinary people with humor, sympathy, and a sharp ear for conversation. He died in 1924.