“Do
not mind anything that anyone tells you about anyone else. Judge everyone and
everything for yourself.” – Henry James
Born in New York City on this date
in 1843, James grew up in wealth and with many educational opportunities from
his early childhood. He aspired to
writing while still in elementary school, a love that ultimately led to his
full-time career in the profession. By
his mid-20s he already was regarded as one of the most skillful writers in
America.
By age 30 he had largely relocated
to Europe, eventually settling in England and becoming one of the major figures
of trans-Atlantic literature. His works frequently juxtapose characters from
both Europe and the United States. His
fundamental theme was the innocence and exuberance of the New World in clash
with the corruption and wisdom of the Old, illustrated in some of his most well
known novels like Daisy Miller (1879), The Portrait of a Lady
(1881), and The Bostonians (1886).
James wrote hundreds of short
stories, novels, books of criticism, travel, biography, autobiography, and
plays, earning numerous writing awards, including 3 nominations for the Nobel
Prize in Literature.
In an interview shortly before his
death in 1915, he gave this advice to young writers: "Live all you can; it's a
mistake not to. It doesn't so much matter what you do in particular, so long as
you have your life. If you haven't had that what have you had?” 
“I think I don't regret a single 'excess' of my responsive youth - I only regret, in my chilled age, certain occasions and possibilities I didn't embrace,”
“I think I don't regret a single 'excess' of my responsive youth - I only regret, in my chilled age, certain occasions and possibilities I didn't embrace,”
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