Henry Louis Mencken was born on September 12, 1880, in Baltimore. He was an American journalist, magazine editor, essayist and critic of the American culture and life. He was one of the most influential American writers of the first half of the 20th century. He died on January 29, 1956, in Baltimore.
“A book of Prefaces” represents a collection of essays that criticise the American culture, movements and the American authors. He described his work as the most important book in terms of the effects on his career.
This book was considered malicious, which made one of his friends question the publishing of it, because of the increased patriotism in America, during the World War I.
The essays you will find in this book include:
• Joseph Conrad
• Theodore Dreiser
• James Huneker
• Puritanism as a Literary Force
