Hamlin Garland

Date of Birth: September 14, 1860

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Date of Death: March 4, 1940

Biography

Hamlin Garland, born Hannibal Hamlin Garland, was an influential American novelist, poet, essayist, and short story writer. Born on September 14, 1860, in West Salem, Wisconsin, Garland is best remembered for his realistic portrayals of Midwestern farmers’ struggles and his advocacy for social reform. His early life was marked by frequent relocations across the Midwest, which profoundly influenced his literary works. Garland’s literary career began with his first major success, “Main-Travelled Roads” (1891), a collection of short stories that depicted the hardships of rural life with stark realism. Garland’s literary output includes several acclaimed novels such as “A Son of the Middle Border” (1917) and its sequel “A Daughter of the Middle Border” (1921), which won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography. His works often explored themes of agrarian struggle, social justice, and the conflict between tradition and progress. Apart from his literary career, Garland was also an advocate for the single tax movement, influenced by the writings of Henry George. Garland’s later years were spent in California, where he continued to write and lecture. He remained a significant figure in American literature until his death on March 4, 1940.

5 Interesting Facts about Hamlin Garland

1. Hamlin Garland won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 1922 for his book “A Daughter of the Middle Border.”

2. He was a proponent of the single tax movement, which aimed to reduce economic inequality through land taxation.

3. Garland was a friend and contemporary of other literary figures like Mark Twain and Stephen Crane.

4. His work “Main-Travelled Roads” is considered a seminal piece of American realism.

5. Garland was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1918.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Hamlin Garland

1. “I am the son of the Middle Border… I have lived the life of the border in all its phases, and I have written about it out of my own heart and experience.”

2. “There are none so poor that they cannot make others poorer.”

3. “Realism is not a matter of any fidelity to an external material reality, but the fidelity to the truth of the writer’s experience.”

4. “The main-travelled road is a hard road, and the native to it has a feeling of isolation and loneliness.”

5. “A book, to me, is not complete until it has been read and reviewed by a mind other than my own.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

Hamlin Garland’s highest net worth is not well-documented, but his successful literary career and Pulitzer Prize win suggest a comfortable financial status during his peak years.