William Dean Howells is an American writer and critic who lived between 1837 and 1920. He is also known for his influence and contribution to the printing business, something he did since an early age. The first piece of writing written by Howell that was published was a poem that his father published without his knowledge.
Howells continued to write in his adulthood as well and he became closely acquainted with various influential writers of the time such as Henry James, Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Early in his literary career, he was also influenced by the German writer Heinrich Heine, a man known for his ideas that were considered revolutionary at the time. Howells published his first novel in 1872 and then continued to publish regularly. He is best known for his realism and while his writings were not all perceived in the same positive manner, Howells distinguished himself as a talented writer.
Howells also wrote numerous short stories and poems. His most well-known short stories are Christmas every day, a short story published in 1982, Christmas Everyday and many more. The stories do not follow a certain pattern and the theme discussed in every story varies greatly. In comparison with his novel, the stories lack the same amount of rigorousness and are lighter hearted and more interested in the philological aspect of the characters. The short stories also allow the reader to see how the author developed from a literary perspective over time.
