Famous Names in American Literature

30 Famous Names in American Literature Though the history of American literature is comparatively not so long, it has given the world many outstanding literary names. Washington Irving was the first US writer to gain an international reputation. In 1819 he published his volume of stories with such classic American stories as the â€Å"Legend of Sleepy Hollow† and â€Å"Rip Van Winkle†. Only 2 years after another American writer began to attract attention – James Fenimore Cooper, the first major US writer of novels. F Cooper was influenced by the social ideas of the age of Enlightenment. His best – known book is â€Å"The Last of the Mohicans†.Samuel Clemens who wrote under the pen name Mark Twain is undoubtedly well -known all over the world. This famous humorous writer of the 19th century is best known for the novels â€Å"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer† and â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn†. The â€Å"Huckleberry Finn† h as been called the greatest novel in American literature. Jack London is a famous writer of adventure stories and novels. Before starting to write he worked as a sailor and went to the Klondike to look for gold. Both experiences he used in his books. His best-known novels include â€Å"The Call of the Wild†, â€Å"The Sea – Wolf† and â€Å"White Fang†. Also read The Story of an Eyewitness Essay AnalysisWilliam Porter, usually known as O'Henry is one of my favorite authors. He wrote short humorous stories which usually ended with a surprise. More than 300 of them were collected in â€Å"Cabbages and Kings†, â€Å"The Voice of the City† and other volumes. Other famous names in American Literature worth mentioning are Ernest Hemingway (he received the Nobel Prize for â€Å"The Old Man and the Sea†), Ray Bradbury, a prominent American science fiction writer of â€Å"The Martian Chronicles†, Edgar Poe, the inventor of the modern detective story, Henry Longfellow, most popular American poet.