Reading lists and articles featuring Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne Biography

Early Life

• Nathaniel Hathorne, born on July 4, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts.
• Descendant of a Puritan family with roots in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
• Father’s death in 1808 led to a move to Salem, where he lived with relatives for 10 years.
• Temporary lameness during childhood, recovering in Raymond, Maine, where he cherished the wild surroundings.
• Sent back to Salem for school in 1819, began showcasing his writing talent through a handmade newspaper.

College Years

• Attended Bowdoin College in 1821 with support from his uncle, graduating in 1825.
• Developed friendships with future president Franklin Pierce, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and others.
• Graduation marked by his acknowledgment of being an “idle student” who preferred personal fancies over academic pursuits.

Early Career

• Published his first work, “Fanshawe: A Tale,” in 1828, but later tried to suppress it.
• Worked as an editor, served at the Boston Custom House, and contributed short stories to various publications.
• Established his local presence with the publication of “Twice-Told Tales” in 1837.

Marriage and Family

• Married Sophia Peabody in 1842, after joining the transcendentalist community at Brook Farm to save money for the wedding.
• Resided in The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, where he wrote many tales collected in “Mosses from an Old Manse.”
• The couple had three children: Una, Julian, and Rose.

Middle Years

• Returned to writing after a period of difficulty, publishing “The Scarlet Letter” in 1850, initiating his most lucrative phase.
• Productive years in the Berkshires, producing notable works like “The House of the Seven Gables” and “The Blithedale Romance.”

The Wayside and Europe

• Moved to The Wayside in 1860, published “The Marble Faun” in 1860.
• Appointed as United States consul in Liverpool in 1853 during Franklin Pierce’s presidency.
• Toured Europe with his family until 1860.

Later Years and Death

• Returned to The Wayside in 1860, published “The Marble Faun.”
• Traveled to Washington, D.C., during the Civil War and died in Plymouth, New Hampshire, on May 19, 1864.
• Buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord, Massachusetts.