Nathaniel Hawthorne

Author Code: ANHX

Graduated from Bowdoin in 1825 and spent many years in isolation in Salem. From 1839-1841 he served as a measurer in the Boston customhouse and also spent time in communal living from 1841-42 at Brook Farm. After marrying Sophia Peabody, they lived in Concord, where Hawthorne wrote Mosses From An Old Manse (1846), a work which set the pattern for his later works. He spent time as a surveyor of the port of Salem (1846-49). His masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter, was published in 1850 and was quickly followed in 1851 by the publication of The House Of The Seven Gables, his own personal favourite. The Blithedale Romance (1852) draws upon his experiences at Brook Farm. From 1853, Hawthorne spent time as the U.S. Consul in Liverpool, England and travelled in France and Italy, returning to the U.S. in 1860. The Marble Faun (1860) and Our Old Home (1863) are both reflections on America and his own autobiographical records. Hawthorne was a master of English prose and used psychological methods in weaving his plots and descriptions of the evils of human nature.