author
William Morton Payne
1858–1919
A sharp-eyed Chicago critic and editor, he helped shape American literary conversation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His work ranges from essays and reviews to studies of major writers, with a style grounded in wide reading and clear judgment.
1 Audiobook
Björnstjerne Björnson, 1832-1910
by William Morton Payne
About the author
William Morton Payne was an American educator, literary critic, writer, and editor born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, on February 14, 1858. He grew up partly in Chicago after his family moved there in 1868, and he became closely associated with the city’s literary life.
He is especially remembered for his work as a critic and for his connection with The Dial, an influential Chicago literary magazine. Along with reviewing and editing, he wrote books and essays on literature, including studies of authors and broader surveys of literary history.
Payne died in 1919. He may be less widely known today than some of the writers he discussed, but he played an important part in introducing readers to serious literature and helping guide literary taste in his time.