William Hill Brown

Born in Boston in November 1765, William Hill Brown was an American novelist and dramatist whose reputation rests mainly on The Power of Sympathy (1789). The book was published anonymously and is usually considered the first American novel, giving Brown a lasting place in the story of early American literature.

The Power of Sympathy is an epistolary, sentimental novel centered on seduction, family secrets, and tragic love. Contemporary reference sources also credit Brown with works including Harriot, or the Domestic Reconciliation and the serial essay The Reformer, showing that he worked across fiction and periodical writing as well as drama.

Brown died on September 2, 1793, in Murfreesboro, North Carolina, while still very young. No suitable verified portrait image was found from the sources checked, so a profile image is not included here.