Green Man Blog

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During his short life, Stephen Crane (born November 1, 1871; died June 5, 1900), made himself famous as an American novelist, short story writer, poet and journalist. Modern critics still recognize him as one of the most innovative writers of his generation.

He became internationally famous in 1895 for his Civil War novel The Red Badge of Courage, which he wrote despite having never participated in war.

Traveling to Cuba while working as a war correspondent, Crane's ship sank off the coast of Florida. He was marooned in a small dinghy for several days. His famous short story reprinted here, "The Open Boat,” is based on that incident.

Despite his success as a writer, Crane was plagued by financial difficulties and ill health and he died of tuberculosis in a Black Forest sanatorium at the age of 28.
Continue reading "Friday Lit: The Open Boat (Part 1)" »

Part 2 of "The Open Boat" by Stephen Crane follows here. Part 1 can be found here. Continue reading "Friday Lit: The Open Boat (Part 2)" »

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Sherlock Holmes is the iconic detective of the modern age. Who hasn’t spent a comfortable evening in a large chair, curled up with a selection of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s short stories featuring the sharp-witted detective and his sidekick Dr. Watson?

A prolific writer, Doyle sometimes complained his Sherlock Holmes stories unfairly over-shadowed his other, more serious fiction. At one point, he “killed” Holmes off, but public outcry compelled him to bring the famous detective back.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle lived a long life, passing away at age 71 on July 7, 1930 (born May 22, 1859). Every modern mystery writer owes at least some amount of debt to the legacy Doyle left behind.

In the following story, a mysterious lodger troubles a landlady with his strict demands for privacy and secretive habits. She asks Sherlock Holmes for help in uncovering the mystery behind her lodger.

Continue reading "Friday Lit: Sherlock Holmes" »