| American journalist, essayist, satirist Date of Birth: 12.09.1880 Country: USA |
Henry Louis Mencken was an American journalist, essayist, and satirist. He gained recognition as a brilliant journalist when he created the magazine "The American Mercury," in which he wrote articles on literary issues as well as social and political topics.
Henry was born into the family of August Mencken, Sr., a cigar factory owner. When he was three years old, his family moved to a new home in Union Square, Baltimore, where he spent most of his life, except for five years of marriage. At the age of nine, Henry became acquainted with the works of Mark Twain and decided to become a writer himself. He began to read voraciously from that moment on.
His parents insisted that he focus on more practical subjects in school rather than pure theory. Eventually, he enrolled in evening courses, where he began to learn the art of journalism. Interestingly, these evening courses were the extent of Mencken's formal education in journalism - he never attended college in his life. He graduated from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and pursued a career in journalism.
Henry Louis Mencken's literary career mainly occurred during the first two decades of the 20th century. His major works include "George Bernard Shaw: Plays" (1905), "A Book of Prefaces" (1917), "Prejudices" (1919-1927), and "Notes on Democracy" (1926). He also showcased his brilliance as a journalist by creating the magazine "The American Mercury," where he wrote articles on literary issues as well as social and political topics.
Mencken is best known as the author of the book "The American Language," a multi-volume study of how the English language is spoken in the United States. He is also renowned for his satirical articles on the case of "Tennessee vs. John Thomas Scopes," which he referred to as the "Monkey Trial."
Known as the "Sage of Baltimore" and the "Anti-Christ of Baltimore," Mencken is considered one of the most influential American writers and prose stylists of the first half of the 20th century. Many of his books continue to be published. He was a supporter of scientific progress and was highly skeptical of economic theories and particularly critical of anti-intellectualism, fanaticism, populism, fundamentalist Christianity, and creationism.
Mencken's sharp criticism of government actions had a significant impact on the American libertarian movement. In addition to his literary achievements, Mencken was known for his controversial ideas. As an open admirer of the German philosopher Nietzsche, he was not a supporter of representative democracy.