欧文简介

Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories \"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow\" and \"Rip Van Winkle\both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works include biographies of George Washington, Oliver Goldsmith and Muhammad, and several histories of 15th-century Spain dealing with subjects such as Christopher Columbus, the Moors, and the Alhambra.

Irving was born into a wealthy New York merchant family. From a very early age, he began to read widely and write juvenile poems, essays and plays. As an uninterested

student, Irving preferred adventure stories and drama and, by the age of fourteen, he regularly sneaked out of class in the evenings to attend the theater. Irving began writing letters to The Morning Chronicle in 1802, submitting commentaries on New York's social and theater scene under the name of Jonathan Oldstyle.,The name, which purposely evoked the writer's Federalist leanings,[8] was the first of many pseudonyms Irving would employ throughout his career. The letters brought Irving some early fame and moderate notoriety. Concerned for his health, Irving's brothers financed an extended tour of Europe from 1804 to 1806. [From 1807 to 1808 Irving was the leading figure in a social group that included his brothers William Irving and Peter Irving and William's brother-in-law James Kirke Paulding； together they wrote Salmagundi， or， the Whim-Whams and Opinions of Launcelot Langstaff， Esq.， and Others， a series of satirical essays and poems on New York society. Irving's next work， A History of New York （1809）， is a satirical account of New York state during the period of Dutch occupation （1609-16）。 Irving's mocking tone and comical descriptions of early American life counterbalanced the nationalism

prevalent in much American writing of the time. The work is generally considered the first important contribution to American comic literature.

In 1815 Irving went to Liverpool， England. Under the pen name of Geoffrey Crayon， Irving wrote the essays and short stories collected in the Sketch Book （1819-1820）， his most popular work. The collection's two most famous stories are “Rip Van Winkle，” about a man who falls asleep in the woods for 20 years， and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow，” about a schoolteacher's encounter with a legendary headless horseman. From 1826 until 1829 Irving was a member of the staff of the United States legation in Madrid， Spain. During this period and after his return to England， he wrote several historical works， including History of Christopher Columbus （1828）。 In 1832 Irving returned to the United States， where he traveled and wrote several books， including A Tour on the Prairies （1835）， Astoria （1836）， and The Adventures of Captain Bonneville， U.S.A. （1837）。 In 1842 Irving was appointed U.S. minister to Madrid， where he lived until 1846， continuing his historical research and writing. He returned to the United States in 1846 and settled in New York.

Irving, along with James Fenimore Cooper, was among the first American writers to earn acclaim in Europe, and Irving encouraged American authors such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Edgar Allan Poe. Irving was also admired by some European writers, including Sir Walter Scott, Lord Byron, Thomas Campbell, Francis Jeffrey, and Charles Dickens. As America's first genuine internationally best-selling author, Irving advocated for writing as a legitimate profession, and argued for stronger laws to protect American writers from copyright infringement

The fictional \"Diedrich Knickerbocker\" from the frontispiece of A History of New-York

Irving in about 1809 Portrait from 1820

The palace Alhambra, where Irving briefly resided in 1829, inspired one of his most colorful books.

Irving's grave, marked by a flag,

in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Sleepy Hollow, New York