The Pentecost of Calamity (ePub)

Owen Wister (1860-1938) was an American writer and is considered the father of Western fiction. Born into a prominent Philadelphia family, he was educated at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, and later at Harvard College, where he graduated in 1882. Originally intent on a career in music, Wister's journey took a turn after health concerns prompted him to move to the American West, where he found inspiration in the landscape and culture, profoundly shaping his literary career.

One cannot discuss Wister's contributions without mentioning his seminal work, 'The Virginian' (1902), a novel that essentially created the cowboy hero archetype and set the tone for the genre of Western novels. However, his oeuvre is not limited to Westerns. Among his influential works is 'The Pentecost of Calamity' (1915), a non-fiction exploration of Germany and the onset of World War I, offering a keen examination of German society and the roots of the conflict from the perspective of an American observer.

Wister's writing, while often engaged with themes of masculinity and the frontier, is characterized by an understated humor and an allegiance to social order. His Harvard education and patrician background reveal themselves in his polished prose and acute awareness of human nature. Over his lifetime, Wister produced a diverse body of works, including novels, short stories, and essays that reflected his deep appreciation for the American West and his insights into its culture and people.