Born August 27th and being second to the oldest, Theodore was one of 13 siblings. Only two, including Theodore seemed to rise above their family's poverty. He had one brother that became a song writer. Theodore started very early to support himself and with a teacher's help, he attended Indiana University where he only stayed one year. He worked as a journalist for the Chicago Globe and continued working in journalism until he finished his first novel 'Sister Carrie', published in 1900 and said to have changed the direction of American literature.

Soon after the publication of his first book, he did suffer a mental breakdown and was cared for by his brother. Yes, it was the sibling that shared his love for words, the song writer. Theodore then became a magazine editor and resigned in 1910 due to a scandal that involved an employee's daughter. He went back to writing novels and authored several more including Jennie Gerhardt, The Financier, and The Titan.

It would seem that the single piece of his works to draw the most success would be labeled 'An American Tragedy'. After it's publication he began to advocate reform. A trip to the Soviet Union led to another book, 'Dreiser Looks at Russia' with politics remaining his vocal point until his death.

• Dreiser Links

• An American Tragedy (Book Results)
• The International Theodore Dreiser Society
• Sister Carrie (Book Search)
• Sister Carrie (Read Chapters Online)
• Dreiser at Books and Writers
• Theodore Dreiser