Theodore Dreiser

Theodore Dreiser was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, on August 27, 1871, to Sarah Maria and John Paul Dreiser. He was the twelfth of thirteen children, with one of his brothers being Paul Dreiser, who changed the spelling of his name to Dresser as he became a popular songwriter. Dreiser's childhood was marked by severe poverty, and his father, John Paul Dreiser, was often harsh, which would later be reflected in his fiction.

Dreiser is renowned for his naturalistic novels that depict life as a struggle against ungovernable forces. The value of his characters lies in their persistence against all obstacles, not their moral code. His literary situations more closely resemble studies of nature than tales of choice and agency. Dreiser's novels pioneered the naturalist school in American literature. His works are a reflection of his experiences and the world around him, and he is considered one of the most important American novelists and journalists of the 20th century.