author
John Jay Chapman
1862–1933
Best known as a sharp-minded American essayist and critic, he wrote with unusual moral intensity about politics, culture, and public life in the Gilded Age and after. His work blends literary style with a deep sense of civic responsibility.
5 Audiobooks
Emerson and Other Essays
by John Jay Chapman
Practical Agitation
by John Jay Chapman
Learning and Other Essays
by John Jay Chapman
Causes and Consequences
by John Jay Chapman
The Treason and Death of Benedict Arnold: A Play for a Greek Theatre
by John Jay Chapman
About the author
Born in New York City on March 2, 1862, John Jay Chapman came from a prominent family and was educated at St. Paul's School and Harvard. He studied law, was admitted to the New York bar in 1888, and was active in reform politics before gradually turning more fully toward literature.
Chapman became known as an essayist, poet, dramatist, and critic. Britannica describes him as a writer who attacked the "get-rich-quick" morality of the post-Civil War Gilded Age, and his books included Causes and Consequences and Practical Agitation. His writing is remembered for its seriousness, elegance, and strong moral voice.
He died in Poughkeepsie, New York, on November 4, 1933. Though not as widely read now as some of his contemporaries, he remains an interesting figure for listeners drawn to reflective, intellectually lively writing about American society and conscience.