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Washington Irving (April 3, 1783–November 28, 1859) Washington Irving is the first 
American classic to be acknowledged in Europe. He is the founder of the short story genre 
in America. He was a writer, essayist, historian, biographer, and diplomat most famous for 
the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." These works 
were both a part of "The Sketch Book," the collection of short stories that won him 
international recognition. Washington Irving has been called the father of the American 
short story because of his early and unique contributions to the form. He is known as 
a Father of the American short story, biographer, historian, diplomat.
Washington Irving was born on April 3, 1783, in New York City. His father William was a 
Scottish-American merchant, and his mother Sarah Sanders was the daughter of an English 
clergyman. At the time of his birth, the American Revolution was just ending. He was fond of 
reading since childhood. His favorite books were those of Chaucer, Defoe, and Arabian Tales. 

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His parents were patriotic. His mother said upon the birth of her 11th child, 
"[General] Washington's work is ended and the child shall be named after him." According to 
Irving biographer Mary Weatherspoon Bowden, "Irving maintained close ties with his family his 
entire life." 
Washington Irving read a great deal as a boy, including "Robinson Crusoe," "Sinbad the Sailor," 
and "The World Displayed." His formal education consisted of elementary school until he was 
16, where he performed without distinction. Irving began writing when he was 19 as a journalist 
using the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle. As a reporter for his brother Peter’s newspaper The 
Morning Chronicle, he covered Aaron Burr’s treason trial. In 1973, he entered a Law Office but 
the state of his health made him leave this office. In 1804, He left America and went to Europe to 
make a tour. He traveled extensively, lived in England, Italy, France, and Spain. He returned to 
America in 1806 and became a lawyer. Some time later, he founded his own office. While he 
was working as a lawyer he began to write. In his early humorous short stories and sketches, he 
criticized the bourgeois money-grabbers and contradictions of the bourgeois progress, he 
protested against the destruction of Indian tribes. In 1804, he published his first book “The 
history of New York”. He described in satirical manner the mode of life of inhabitants of old 
New York in the epoch of Holland settlers. He exposed the American bourgeoisie who made its 
success at the expense of common people. After publication of his book, Irving again went to 
England, where he lived for some years, devoting himself entirely to the literary work. In 1819-
1820, he published his famous “The Sketch Book” (“Книга скетчей”), which won him world 
fame. This book was a collection of articles, lyrical and fantastic stories. In many of his stories 
the action takes place in Europe. By means of his book he acquainted the American public with 
mode of life of Europe. In these sketches we find vivid pictures of American nature. In some of 
his stories Irving idealizes the past of America, here he appears as a representative of 
romanticism. Numerous tales of Irving are found in legends dealing with prairies, pirates, 
hunting. As a result of his diplomatic work in Spain, he wrote a number of fascinating works 
about Spanish history. They also brought him fame. Among them is “The Life and Voyages of 
Christopher Columbus”, 1828. But the satire of his first books didn’t become the leading thread 
in his books. Gradually the conservatism and antidemocratic mood was felt in his works. He 
glorified the bourgeois ownership and the colonial policy of the American ruling classes. The 
story “The Devil and Tom Worker” has romantic and realistic features. Tom Worker sold his 
soul to the devil and got the fortune, nevertheless the devil took him to the hell. 
W. Irving rarely dealt with themes of social significance in his tales. But when he did he treated 
them in a romantic way. Instead of giving a reader a picture taken from actual life he preferred to 
fill his tales with romantic fantasy based on folklore. He was not a mystic and while being quite 
ironical about his devil he expected his reader to share in his irony. Therefore, to get to the heart 
of the story the reader must strip off its fantastic elements, and then it’ll become clear that Irving 
was criticizing bourgeois greed and burst for good, the cult which has so widely spread in 
America since the early stages of its bourgeois development.
Irving traveled widely in Europe from 1804 to 1806 on a "grand tour," paid for by his family. 
After returning, using the pseudonym Dietrich Knickerbocker, Irving published the 1809 comic 
history of Dutch life in New York, "A History of New York." Some literary scholars consider 
this work of burlesque fiction to be his greatest book. He then studied law and he passed the bar 
in 1807. 
Washington Irving was engaged to marry Matilda Hoffmann, the daughter of a prominent local 
family. She died of consumption on April 26, 1809, at the age of 17. Irving never became 
engaged or married anyone after the tragedy. 

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This loss indeed scarred his life. In response to an inquiry about why he had never married, 
Irving wrote in a letter, saying: "For years I could not talk on the subject of this hopeless regret; I 
could not even mention her name, but her image was continually before me, and I dreamt of her 
incessantly." 
Irving returned to Europe in 1815 and lived there for 17 years. In 1820, he published "The 
Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent," a collection of stories including his best-known 
works, "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." These stories are thought to be 
the first examples of the genre of the short story, and they are both gothic and humorous. 
"The Sketch-Book" was a milestone in American literary history because it was the first piece of 
American writing to garner European recognition. James Fenimore Cooper was the only other 
contemporary American writer to receive international acclaim. Later in his life, Irving would 
encourage the careers of great American authors Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allen 
Poe, and Herman Melville. 
In 1832 while living in Spain, Irving published "Alhambra," which described the history and 
stories of Moorish Spain. After a few years back in the United States, Irving returned to Spain, 
serving as the U.S. minister to Spain from 1842–1845 under President John Tyler. 
Irving returned to the United States in 1846 and moved back to his home of Sunnyside in 
Tarrytown, New York. In his later years, he wrote less fiction. His works include essays, poetry, 
travel writing, and biography. Over his lifetime, he published biographies of poet Oliver 
Goldsmith, the prophet Muhammad, and Christopher Columbus. 
Irving's contributions to the American idiom include coining the word “Gotham” as a nickname 
for New York City. Irving was also the first to use the phrase “the almighty dollar.” With his 
popularity high, Irving kept up with work and correspondence into his 70s. He completed his 
five-volume biography of his namesake George Washington only eight months before his death. 
Washington Irving died of a heart attack in Tarrytown, New York on November 28, 1859. He 
seemed to foretell his death, as he said before going to bed: "Well, I must arrange my pillows for 
another weary night! If this could only end!" Irving was, fittingly, buried in Sleepy Hollow 
Cemetery. 
American literary scholar Fred Lewis Pattee summarized Irving's contributions as follows: 
"He made short fiction popular; stripped the prose tale of its didactic elements and made it a 
literary form solely for entertainment; added richness of atmosphere and unity of tone; added 
definite locality and actual American scenery and people; brought a peculiar nicety of execution 
and patient workmanship; added humor and lightness of touch; was original; created characters 
who are always definite individuals; and endowed the short story with a style that is finished and 
beautiful." 
In 1940, Irving was the first author to be featured on the “Famous Americans” series stamps. 
Questions to be discussed 
1.
What are the specific features of American Romanticism? 
2.
Who are its best representatives? 

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3.
What is W. Irving’s contribution to American literature? 
4.
Who was Benjamin Franklin? 
Recommended Literature 
1. Masoud Abadi. American Literature. Prose, drama, poetry. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2008. © 
1993-2007 Microsoft 
2. Henry A. Beers. Brief History of English and American literature. 
3. Van Spanckeren, Kathryn, Outlines of American Literature. Washington DC, USA 
Department of States, 1994