Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864) was an American writer of the Romantic period. Born in Salem, Massachusetts, to a family of Puritan descent, he died in Plymouth, New Hampshire. Before establishing himself as an author, he worked in customs and the postal administration. He was associated with the Transcendentalist circle and spent six months at the Brook Farm community. In 1842 he married the painter Sophia Peabody; they had three children. Hawthorne wrote numerous novels and short stories. His best-known works include The Scarlet Letter (1850). From 1853 to 1857, he served as U.S. consul in Liverpool and subsequently spent several years in Europe.