Henry James

Henry James (1843–1916) was an American-British novelist and one of the most influential figures in literary realism. Born in New York City into a wealthy intellectual family—his brother was the philosopher William James—he spent much of his life in Europe, eventually settling in England and becoming a British citizen in 1915. James is celebrated for his penetrating psychological insight and his exploration of the cultural clash between the innocent New World and the sophisticated Old World.

His major works include Daisy Miller (1878), which established his signature transatlantic theme; Washington Square (1880); The Portrait of a Lady (1881), a masterpiece portraying the independent and idealistic Isabel Archer; and The Bostonians (1886). The haunting novella The Turn of the Screw (1898) remains a classic of psychological ghost fiction. His final trilogy—The Wings of the Dove (1902), The Ambassadors (1903), and The Golden Bowl (1904)—represents the pinnacle of his intricate, dense "late style."

James revolutionized narrative technique through his meticulous handling of point of view and interior consciousness, laying the groundwork for modernist fiction. His essay "The Art of Fiction" is a landmark of literary criticism, and his influence on the modern novel endures to this day.