James Fenimore Cooper (1789 - 1851)

James Fenimore Cooper

James Fenimore Cooper is an American writer and the founder of the Western genre.

Cooper is the first major American novelist, he wrote a whole series of novels from American life: "The Pioneers" (1823), "The Last of the Mohicans" (1826), "The Prairie" (1827), "The Pathfinder" (1840), "The Beastmaster, or the First Warpath" (1841). The author fascinatingly and vividly describes how Europeans waged wars among themselves on the American continent, involving Indian tribes in these strife. All of these works were a huge success in 19th century Europe and are still being reprinted today.

At the height of his popularity, Cooper spent seven years in Europe, and then returned to the United States, where he wrote works on military-historical and maritime themes until his advanced old age. Among them are "The Pilot, or Maritime History" (1823), "The Red Corsair" (1827).