Horatio Alger
Sign in to saveAlso known as Horatio Alger Jr., Horatio, Jr. Alger, Horatio Alger, Jr, Horatio Alger, Jr.
American novelist (1832–1899)
Key facts
- Born
- ( 1832-01-13 ) January 13, 1832, Chelsea, Massachusetts , U.S.
- Died
- July 18, 1899 (1899-07-18) (aged 67), Natick, Massachusetts , U.S.
- Pen name
- Carl Cantab, Arthur Hamilton, Caroline F. Preston, Arthur Lee Putnam, Julian Starr
- Occupation
- Author
- Language
- English
- Alma mater
- Harvard University
- Genre
- Children's literature
- Literary movement
- American Realism
- Notable works
- Ragged Dick (1868)
- Relatives
- William R. Alger (cousin)
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- United States
- Place of birth
- Chelsea
- Place of death
- Natick
- Occupation
- novelist
- Educated at
- Harvard College
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Image
- Horatio Alger Jr.jpg
- Residence
- New York City
Show 9 more facts
- Commons gallery
- Horatio Alger, Jr.
- Commons category
- Horatio Alger
- date of birth
- 1834-01-13
- date of death
- 1899-01-01
- member of
- Phi Beta Kappa Society
- writing language
- English language
- pseudonym
- Charles F. Preston
- P8168
- Marinette Pichon
- Commons Creator page
- Horatio Alger (1832-1899)
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~25 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Horatio Alger Jr. (/ˈældʒər/; January 13, 1832 – July 18, 1899) was an American author who wrote young adult novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to middle-class security and comfort through good works. His writings were characterized by the "rags-to-riches" narrative, which had a formative effect on the United States from 1868 through to his death in 1899.
Alger secured his literary niche in 1868 with the publication of Ragged Dick, the story of a poor bootblack's rise to middle-class respectability. The novel was a success. His many books that followed were essentially variations on Ragged Dick and featured stock characters: the valiant, hardworking, honest youth; the noble mysterious stranger; the snobbish youth; and the evil, greedy squire.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Horatio Alger” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.