Last Woeds

Remarkably prolific writer Stephen Crane died of tuberculosis at the tender age of 28. But in the years before his premature demise, Crane exerted a profound influence on American literature that would resonate for decades after his death. The posthumous collection Last Words brings together a series of stories, essays, sketches, and other short pieces that were among Crane's final works. Stephen Crane was an American author. Prolific throughout his short life, he wrote notable works in the Realist tradition as well as early examples of American Naturalism and Impressionism. He is recognized by modern critics as one of the most innovative writers of his generation. Crane began writing at the age of four and had published several articles by the age of 16. Having little interest in university studies, he left school in 1891 to work as a reporter and writer. Crane's first novel was the 1893 Bowery tale Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, generally considered by critics to be the first work of American literary Naturalism. He won international acclaim in 1895 for his Civil War novel The Red Badge of Courage, which he wrote without any battle experience.