Skip to main content Skip to Search Box

Definition: Anderson, Sherwood from Chambers Biographical Dictionary

1876-1941

US fiction writer

Born in Camden, Ohio, the son of an itinerant harness maker, he had an uncertain childhood and irregular schooling, and at 17 enlisted to fight in the Spanish-American War. He later returned to Ohio and married, but in 1912 left his family and his lucrative position as head of a paint factory to devote all his time to writing. Settling in Chicago, he joined a literary circle that included Carl Sandburg, Theodore Dreiser and Edgar Lee Masters. His first novel was Windy McPherson's Son (1916), but his best-known work is Winesburg, Ohio (1919), a collection of interrelated short stories which portray the "secret lives" of marginal characters and the sensibilities of the young artist who observes them and then escapes. Subsequent books include Poor White (1920) and The Triumph of the Egg (1921). His Memoirs (1942) and Letters (1953) were published posthumously.

  • Howe, I Sherwood Anderson: A Biography (1951).

Anderson, Sherwood

From Encyclopedia of American Studies
Sherwood Anderson, known for his masterpiece Winesburg, Ohio (1919), a short story cycle depicting aphasiac lonely people he calls grotesques who are walled in and living in isolation, is also a masterly writer of short stories such as The Egg, I Want to Know Why, and Death in the Woods. Sometimes labeled as belonging to the revolt from the village school, he did not simply criticize parochial American pastoralism but was also a strong opponent of the Puritan work ethic and industrialism. Anderson was born in Camden, Ohio, on September 13, 1876, and spent his formative years in Ohio small towns where he earned the nickname Jobby as he worked hard taking odd jobs to compensate for his father, who preferred drinking and storytelling to working. After his mother's death he went to Chicago to do some menial work, enlisted at the time of the Spanish-American War, attended Wittenburg Academy in Springfield, and began a successful career in advertising. Although he established a company of…
43 results

Full text Article Anderson, Sherwood

From Continuum Encyclopedia of American Literature
A.'s literary reputation has been eclipsed by those of his one-time followers, including William FAULKNER , Ernest HEMINGWAY , Thomas WOLFE , and John STEINBECK . A. himself assessed his talent, observing, “For all my egotism I know I am but a minor figure.” Despite A.'s self-deprecating evaluation…
| 1,339 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Anderson, Sherwood

From The Great American History Fact-Finder
| 86 words
Key concepts:
| 81 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Sherwood Anderson (1876–1941)

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
| 89 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Anderson

From Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary Full text Article Biographical Names
| 7 words

Full text Article Anderson, Sherwood

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
(born Sept. 13, 1876, Camden, Ohio, U.S.—died March 8, 1941, Colon, Pan.) U.S. author. Anderson was irregularly schooled. Having married, he abruptly left his family and business career to become a writer in Chicago. Winesburg, Ohio (1919), a collection of interrelated sketches and tales about the…
| 196 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Anderson, Sherwood

From Encyclopedia of American Studies
Portrait of Sherwood Anderson, 1933. Library of...
Sherwood Anderson, known for his masterpiece Winesburg, Ohio (1919), a short story cycle depicting aphasiac lonely people he calls grotesques who are walled in and living in isolation, is also a masterly writer of short stories such as The Egg, I... …
| 1,045 words , 3 images
Key concepts:
(b. 1876–d. 1941) American novelist, short story writer, autobiographer In my stories I simply stayed at home, among my own people, wherever I happened to be, people in my own street. I think I must, very early, have realized that this was my milieu, that is to say, common everyday American lives. …
| 2,025 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Anderson, Sherwood

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
1876–1941, American novelist and short-story writer, b. Camden, Ohio. After serving briefly in the Spanish-American War, he became a successful advertising man and later a manager of a paint factory in Elyria, Ohio. Dissatisfied with his life, however, Anderson abandoned both his job and his family…
| 296 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Anderson, Sherwood

From Chambers Biographical Dictionary
1876-1941 US fiction writer Born in Camden, Ohio, the son of an itinerant harness maker, he had an uncertain childhood and irregular schooling, and at 17 enlisted to fight in the Spanish-American War. He later returned to Ohio and married, but in 1912 left his family and his lucrative position as…
| 155 words
Key concepts:
Mind Map

Stack overflow
More Library Resources