Henry James

Henry James was born in New York City in 1843 and became one of the most important novelists in the English language. He grew up in a cultured, restless family, with frequent trips to Europe, and his older brother William became a famous philosopher and psychologist. In his early thirties Henry settled in Europe, first in Paris and then in London, and he spent most of the rest of his life in England. Late in life he became a British citizen, and he died in London in 1916.

James wrote novels, tales, plays, criticism, travel pieces and memoirs. He is best known for stories of Americans and Europeans meeting across cultural lines, and for close, patient portraits of how people think, hesitate and deceive themselves. His later style grew more intricate and demanding. He shaped modern ideas of point of view in fiction, and his work still rewards slow, attentive readers.