American literature is the written or produced in the area of the and its . For more specific discussions of poetry and theater, see and . During its early history, America was a series of British colonies on the eastern coast of the present-day United States. Therefore, its literary tradition begins as linked to the broader tradition of . However, unique American characteristics and the breadth of its production usually now cause it to be considered a separate path and tradition.
The were the center of early American literature. The revolutionary period contained political writings by , and . In the post-war period, 's solidified his status as a key American writer. It was in the late 18th and early 19th centuries that the nation's first novels were published. With the and an increasing desire to produce uniquely American literature and culture, a number of key new literary figures emerged, perhaps most prominently and . In 1836, (1803–1882) started a movement known as . (1817–1862) wrote , which urges resistance to the dictates of organized society. The political conflict surrounding inspired the writings of and in her world-famous . These efforts were supported by the continuation of the slave narrative autobiography, of which the best known example from this period was 's .
(1804–1864) is notable for his masterpiece, , a novel about adultery. Hawthorne influenced (1819–1891) who is notable for the books and . America's two greatest 19th-century poets were (1819–1892) and (1830–1886). American poetry reached a peak in the early-to-mid-20th century, with such noted writers as , , , , , and . Mark Twain (the pen name used by , 1835–1910) was the first major American writer to be born away from the East Coast. (1843–1916) was notable for novels like . At the beginning of the 20th century, American novelists included (1862–1937), (1871–1900), (1871–1945), and (1876–1916). Experimentation in style and form is seen in the works of (1874–1946).
American writers expressed disillusionment following . The stories and novels of (1896–1940) capture the mood of the 1920s, and wrote about the war. (1899–1961) became notable for and ; in 1954, he won the . (1897–1962) is notable for novels like . American drama attained international status only in the 1920s and 1930s, with the works of , who won four and the . In the middle of the 20th century, American drama was dominated by the work of playwrights and , as well as by the maturation of the American .
era writers included (1902–1968), notable for his novel . assumed a unique place in American Literature in the 1930s when his semi-autobiographical novels were banned from the US. From the end of World War II up until, roughly, the late 1960s and early 1970s saw the publication of some of the most popular works in American history such as by . America's involvement in World War II influenced the creation of works such as 's (1948), 's (1961) and 's (1969). was notable for his novel (1960). explores in American society. From the early 1970s to the present day the most important literary movement has been and the flowering of literature by ethnic minority writers.
he Anglo-Saxons were a people who inhabited Great Britain from the 5th century. They comprised people from Germanic tribes who migrated to the island from continental Europe, their descendants, and indigenous British groups who adopted some aspects of Anglo-Saxon culture and language.
