Washington Irving
Washington Irving, known as the “father of American literature”, or the “father of American letters”, is famous for being and essayist, biographer, historian, writer and politician. Irving was born in New York City on April 3, 1783, to William and Sarah Irving. Irving was the youngest of eleven siblings.
Irving was educated privately and began to write essays. He traveled to many places, including France and Italy, where he wrote journals and letters. Irving stayed in Rome for two years because of his poor health. Sadly, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and his brothers thought it was best for him to live there.
Washington Irving finally went back to New York to study law even though he was not known as a “good student”. His brother, William Irving and his friend James Kirke, and, of course, Washington Irving, wrote the “salmagundi papers”, which were very funny essays. Irving first became known, not because of the “salmagundi papers” but by his comic work in “A History of New York”. In “A History of New York” Irving wrote under the name of “Dietrich Knickerbocker”, which people still know about today. In 1815, Irving began to write stories and essays, which became known as “the sketchbook”. This was published under the name of “Geoffrey Crayon”. “The sketchbook” included many famous stories that are still known today.
A few years later, he went to Spain and became an attaché for the US embassy in Madrid. After achieving so much, he was able to become the secretary of the US legation in London. Irving later returned to Spain where he became the US ambassador. Washington Irving ended up spending the rest of his life in New York, Sunnyside, where he worked on his historical and biographical works. Some of those works include the five-volume life of George Washington, the man he was named after. Eight months after he finally completed that, Washington Irving suffered a heart attack and died on November 28, 1859.
Irving was educated privately and began to write essays. He traveled to many places, including France and Italy, where he wrote journals and letters. Irving stayed in Rome for two years because of his poor health. Sadly, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and his brothers thought it was best for him to live there.
Washington Irving finally went back to New York to study law even though he was not known as a “good student”. His brother, William Irving and his friend James Kirke, and, of course, Washington Irving, wrote the “salmagundi papers”, which were very funny essays. Irving first became known, not because of the “salmagundi papers” but by his comic work in “A History of New York”. In “A History of New York” Irving wrote under the name of “Dietrich Knickerbocker”, which people still know about today. In 1815, Irving began to write stories and essays, which became known as “the sketchbook”. This was published under the name of “Geoffrey Crayon”. “The sketchbook” included many famous stories that are still known today.
A few years later, he went to Spain and became an attaché for the US embassy in Madrid. After achieving so much, he was able to become the secretary of the US legation in London. Irving later returned to Spain where he became the US ambassador. Washington Irving ended up spending the rest of his life in New York, Sunnyside, where he worked on his historical and biographical works. Some of those works include the five-volume life of George Washington, the man he was named after. Eight months after he finally completed that, Washington Irving suffered a heart attack and died on November 28, 1859.