Stephen Crane was born in New Jersey in 1871. The youngest of fourteen children, Stephen's minister father died when he was nine, and he was raised primarily by his elder sister and his devout suffragist mother. He had serious health troubles as a young boy that would last throughout his short life, but was also known as a literary prodigy, internalizing knowledge with incredible quickness. His first story was published when he was fourteen.
After finishing boarding school, Crane attended three colleges in two years and then moved to New York City to do freelance literary and journalistic work. Although he spent a great deal of time with wealthy extended family in the suburbs, he also...
