The results of LIT CRIT magazine's poll (民意测验) to find the greatest American authors of all time. Top five most popular biographical details.
① Mark Twain
1835 — 1910
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
A boy travels down the Mississippi with a runaway slave.
Real name: Samuel Clements. He was a printer and a river-boat pilot before moving to San Francisco to work as a reporter. He traveled widely, and the expectations of his world tour are recorded in The Innocents Abroad.
② Herman
Melville1809 —1891
Moby DickStory Of a sea captain fascinated with finding a famous white whale.
After working as a teacher and a farmhand, in1839 he went to sea and joined the U. S. Navy. His books reflect his life at sea and his thoughts on faith and God. During his life, he was more famous in Great Britain than in the U. S.
③ Ernest Hemingway
1899 — 1961
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Based on the writer's experiences as a reporter in the Spanish Civil War.
Best known for his novels, but it was his short stories that first attracted attention. He wrote about
hard men (bullfighters, boxers, hard-drinkers) and showed how courage and honesty are often lost in a
modern society without hope and faith.
④ F. Scott Fitzgerald
1896 —1940
Tender is the Night
Moving stories of a psychiatrist (精神病医师) and his wife that reflects the writer's own marriage to
Zelda.
The author of The Great Gatsby wrote his first story for a school paper at the age of 13. He travelled
widely and made vacations on the French Riviera. His problems with alcohol and depression are
described in The Crack-up.
1. What is the name of the author who once worked on a farm?
A. Mark Twain
B. Herman Melville
C. F. Scott Fitzgerald
D. Ernest Hemingway
2. What is the title of the book about an author's experiences in Spain?
A. Moby Dick.
B. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
C. For Whom the Bell Tolls.
D. Tender is the Night.
3. What is the most popular book by the writer of The Innocents Abroad?
A. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
B. Tender is the Night
C. Moby Dick.
D. For Whom the Bell Tolls.
4. Which writer wrote his first story for a school paper?
A. Edgar Allen Poe
B. Herman Melville
C. Ernest Hemingway
D.F. Scott Fitzgerald
