Profession: Writer
Biography: James Fenimore Cooper was an American writer of the early 19th century. His historical romances of frontier and Native American life created a unique form of American literature. He is best remembered for the Leatherstocking Tales, including The Last of the Mohicans, which is often regarded as his masterpiece.
Cooper was born in New Jersey into a wealthy landowning family. His father, William Cooper, founded Cooperstown, New York, where James spent much of his youth. Cooper attended Yale University but did not graduate, and he joined the U.S. Navy where he served for several years, an experience that would later influence his writing.
In 1820, he published his first novel, Precaution, which focused on contemporary American manners. It was his second book, The Spy, set during the American Revolution, which brought him considerable fame and set the stage for his future works.
Cooper's most famous works are the five historical novels known as the Leatherstocking Tales. Set in the eighteenth-century American frontier, they include The Pioneers, The Last of the Mohicans, The Prairie, The Pathfinder, and The Deerslayer. These novels introduced one of the most enduring characters in American literature, Natty Bumppo, also known as "Hawkeye" or "Leatherstocking," a resourceful American woodsman at home with the Delaware Indians and at war with the Iroquois.
Cooper's works were highly imaginative and often romanticized, but they were grounded in the realities of the American frontier and the complex relationships between the European settlers, Native Americans, and the natural environment. His detailed descriptions of nature and insightful portrayals of early American life contributed significantly to the emerging sense of American history and identity.
In addition to the Leatherstocking Tales, Cooper also wrote a number of sea stories, reflecting his naval background, and several non-fiction works. His writing was influenced by his deep interest in American democracy, identity, and values and in turn has had an enduring influence on popular conceptions of America.
Born: September 15, 1789
Birthplace: Burlington, New Jersey, USA
Star Sign: Virgo
Died: September 14, 1851 (aged 61)
Cause of Death: Dropsy
Career Highlights
- 1920-11-21 Silent film "The Last of the Mohicans" released, adapted from James Fenimore Cooper's novel, starring Wallace Beery, Barbara Bedford
Personal Life
- 1811-01-01 Writer James Fenimore Cooper (21) weds Susan Augusta de Lancey in Mamaroneck, New York
References
Famous Authors
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