De Forest, John

John William De Forest was born into a family of a wealthy cotton planter and did not go to college at home, studying on his own. In his youth he traveled extensively throughout Europe and Syria, studying Latin and modern European languages ​​as a listener. In 1859 he received an honorary master's degree in art from Amherst College. He distinguished himself in the Civil War , in which he participated on the side of the North in the rank of captain (returning from Europe) and about which he wrote a lot in “Harper's Monthly”. During the war he was promoted to major, received several injuries. After the war, he worked for some time in Greenville, South Carolina, as an assistant commissioner for Reconstruction , and subsequently lived in journalism and literary work. Died of heart disease.

His main work is “A history of the Indians of Connecticut” (1853). Of his stories are more famous: “Miss Ravenels conversion” (Russian “Miss Ravenel goes to the northerners”, 1867), the central character of which is a girl from the South of the USA who has become an abolitionist , “Overland” (1871); “Kate Beaumont” (1872), “Honest John Vane” (Russian “Honest John Wayne”, 1875), in which, as in the novel “Playing the Mischief” (Russian “Playing with Fire”) of the same year, political corruption in the country is shown, Irene (1877), The oddest of courtships (1881) and others.

• De-Forest, John-William // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.

• De Forest John - article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia .