UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND AUTHOR · HISTORY · AMERICAN
Nichol, John
John Harrison Nichols (born February 3, 1959) is an American journalist and author. He is the executive editor of the liberal and progressive The Nation and associate editor of The Capital Times magazines. Nichols co-authored "It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism" with Senator Bernie Sanders, which became a New York Times Best Seller. Other books authored or co-authored by Nichols include The Genius of Impeachment and The Death and Life of American Journalism.
There was nothing exceptional about Byron's birth.
— from Byron, 2002
Most acclaimed
Francis Bacon
1974
The portrait Bowen paints of this controversial man, Francis Bacon (1561-1626), balances the outward life and actions of Bacon with the seemingly contradictory aspects of his refined philosophical reflections. As Lord Chancellor of England, Bacon was impeached by Parliament for taking bribes in office, convicted, and banished from London and the law courts. In a prayer Bacon composed during the interval following his punishment, he reveals that the dichotomy of his existence was no more deeply felt than by himself, and he readily admits that his obligations to society were not as suited to his nature as the study of philosophy, science, and law. Modern scholars hold Bacon's philosophical works, Novum Organum, Advancement of Learning, and The New Atlantis, as his greatest achievements. Bowen's story reveals a man whose genius it was not to immerse himself in the rigor of scientific experimentation, but to realize what questions science should ask, and thereby reach beyond the status quo and appeal to the wider imagination of his generation. In his writings, Bacon challenged established social and religious orders, raised questions about the mind/body relation and the role of dreams, and foresaw the development of the modern research university. It is Bacon's legacy to have gone beyond his age and, out of pure intuition, anticipate the concerns of future generations.
American literature
1898
Katharine Lee Bates (August 12, 1859 – March 28, 1929) was an American author and poet, chiefly remembered for her anthem "America the Beautiful", but also for her many books and articles on social reform, on which she was a noted speaker. Bates enjoyed close links with Wellesley College, Massachusetts, where she had graduated with a B.A., and later became a professor of English literature, helping to launch American literature as an academic speciality, and writing one of the first-ever college textbooks on it. She never married, possibly because she would have lost tenure if she had. Throughout her long career at Wellesley, she shared a house with her close friend and companion Katharine Coman. Some scholars have assumed that this was a lesbian relationship, considering some exchanges of letters sufficient proof; others believe their relationship may have been a platonic "Boston marriage" in the contemporary phrase.