The last of the moicans - Biografy of James Fenimore Cooper

James Fenimore Cooper

Biografy

James Fenimore Cooper (September 15, 1789 – September 14, 1851) was a prolific and popular American writer of the early 19th century. His historical romances of frontier and Indian life in the early American days created a unique form of American literature. He lived most of his life in Cooperstown, New York, which was established by his father William.

The Last of the Mohicans

Illustration from 1896 edition

In 1820 Cooper's wife Susan wangered that he could write a book better than the one she was reading. In response to the wager, Cooper wrote the novel Precaution(1820). Its focus on morals and manners was influenced by Jane Austen's approach to fiction. He anonymously published Precaution  and soon wrote several other novels. The most famous novel, The Last of the Mohicans (1826)was written in New York, where Cooper and his family lived from 1822 to 1826, the book became one of the most readed American novels of the 19th century.