John Matteson

John Matteson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and distinguished professor of English at John Jay College in the City University of New York. His acclaimed biography, "Eden's Outcasts," earned the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Biography, exploring the lives of Louisa May Alcott and her father, Bronson Alcott. He further cemented his reputation as a biographer with "The Lives of Margaret Fuller," published in 2012, and contributed scholarly insights through his annotated edition of "Little Women" in 2015. His most recent work, "A Worse Place Than Hell," released in February 2021, continues his examination of 19th-century literary figures.

Born in San Mateo, California, Matteson pursued an academic path with degrees from Princeton, Harvard Law School, and Columbia University, where he earned his Ph.D. in English. After practicing law in San Francisco and Raleigh, he transitioned to academia, finding his true calling in literary scholarship. His writing often delves into the intersections of family dynamics, intellectual history, and American literature, with a particular focus on transcendentalism and its key figures.

Matteson's work reflects his deep engagement with 19th-century American literature and his ability to bring historical figures to life with nuance and rigor. As a professor in John Jay College's Honors Program, he continues to inspire students while contributing to literary scholarship through his meticulously researched biographies and critical editions.