Crane, Stephen: The Red Badge of Courage

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, first published on October 5th 1895.

Stephen Crane wrote this novel with no first-hand familiarity with war, but it was praised by Civil War veterans as an authentic depiction of their battlefield experiences and emotions. Crane was interested in war stories and enjoyed creative writing as a child. He began his professional career as a journalist at the age of 16, and later became a war correspondent in the Greco-Turkish conflict and the Spanish American War in Cuba. Other important works include the novel Maggie: A Girl of the Streets; short stories "The Open Boat," "The Monster," and "The Blue Hotel"; and poems "The Black Riders" and "War is Kind." Stephen Crane died of Tuberculosis at the age of 29.