You most probably have read about Philadelphia’s part in the history of the US, but you might not be aware of the many authors who have brought a touch of Philadelphia to their writing. These are merely a few of those authors:
- Benjamin Franklin. Poor Richard's Almanack. He was an important figure in American letters. Not only was he the editor and publisher of The Pennsylvania Gazette, but he also wrote essays, articles, pamphlets, satires, and speeches throughout his life.
- Edgar Allen Poe. Stories and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe. Although he was born in Boston to a Virginian family and lived in cities throughout the East Coast, Poe wrote many of his most memorable works in Philadelphia, including "Tell Tale Heart" and "The Fall of the House of Usher." His influence on American short stories is immeasurable.
- James A. Michener. Chesapeake. Although dismissed by literary luminary Ernest Hemingway as "that gifted Philadelphia writer," James Michener never used eastern Pennsylvania as a backdrop to one of his epic bio-geographies. The closest he came was in this novelistic history of one of Philly's favorite summer playgrounds.
- Lisa Scottoline. Everywhere that Mary Went. Native Philadelphia mystery writer Lisa Scottoline, after earning a B.A. in English at the University of Pennsylvania, went on to practice law and later write many legal mysteries. Scottoline continues to live and work in Philadelphia. Furthermore, she uses Philadelphia as the backdrop for most of her books. If you have read any of her books, the street names will bring back memories of legal thrills.
No comments:
Post a Comment