What Maisie Knew

Henry James was an American-born writer who was the son of a clergyman. James spent much of his early life travelling Europe and was tutored in cities such as Geneva, London and Paris. James' even attended Harvard Law School but found that he preferred writing to practicing law. James was a well known contributor to literary criticism and literary realism. It was James' belief that writers should have absolute freedom in portraying their ideas of the world and that writings must be realistic and portray things in a way that the readers can relate to. James' would eventually settle in London and became a citizen in 1915. In the last year of his life, James was given the Order of Merit, a prestigious award for his distinguished work in literature. Some of James' best known novels include The American, Daisy Miller, and The Portrait of a Lady.