About the Author

Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser (1871-1945) was an American author of the naturalist school, known for dealing with the gritty reality of life. By 1892 Dreiser was working in the newspaper industry, where he became acutely aware of the peculiarly American "disease" of fortune hunting. The astute observations made in his work influenced many of Dreiser's novels, such as The Financier (part of The Trilogy of Desire) and An American Tragedy. Dreiser also wrote several non-fiction books on political issues.