When and where was Nathaniel Hawthorne born?
Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on the 4th of July, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts. His birthplace is preserved and open to the public.
Questions about Nathaniel Hawthorne
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Why did Nathaniel Hawthorne add the 'w' to his surname?
Hawthorne added the "w" to the family name Hathorne in his early twenties, shortly after graduating from Bowdoin College, to distance himself from two notorious ancestors: William Hathorne, an infamous Salem magistrate, and John Hathorne, one of the judges who oversaw the Salem witch trials.
What was Nathaniel Hawthorne's first published novel?
Hawthorne's first published novel was Fanshawe: A Tale, which appeared anonymously in October 1828 at the author's own expense of $100. It received generally positive reviews but sold poorly, and Hawthorne later tried to suppress it.
How did The Scarlet Letter perform when it was published in 1850?
The Scarlet Letter was published in mid-March 1850 and sold 2,500 volumes within ten days. It was one of the first mass-produced books in America and earned Hawthorne $1,500 over the following fourteen years.
What was the relationship between Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville?
Hawthorne and Melville first met at a picnic on the 5th of August, 1850. Melville had just read Hawthorne's story collection Mosses from an Old Manse and published an admiring review titled "Hawthorne and His Mosses." He later dedicated Moby-Dick in 1851 to Hawthorne, writing: "In token of my admiration for his genius, this book is inscribed to Nathaniel Hawthorne."
How did Nathaniel Hawthorne die?
Hawthorne died in his sleep on the 19th of May, 1864, in Plymouth, New Hampshire, while on a recuperative tour of the White Mountains with his friend Franklin Pierce. He had been suffering from stomach pain in his final months. He was buried on "Authors' Ridge" in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, Massachusetts.