James Lane Allen (December 21, 1849 – February 18, 1925) was an American

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

and

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

writer whose work, including the novel '' A Kentucky Cardinal'', often depicted the culture and dialects of his native

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. His work is characteristic of the late 19th-century local color era, when writers sought to capture the vernacular in their fiction. Allen has been described as "Kentucky's first important novelist".

Early life and education

James Lane Allen was born near

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

, to Richard and Helen Jane (Foster) Allen on December 21, 1849. Allen, the youngest child in the family, had four sisters Lydia, May, Sally, and Annie, and two brothers, John and Henry. Allen lived at the Scarlet Gate estate in Lexington in the late 1800s until age 22 years. In 1872 Allen graduated from the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

, Lexington, taught at Fort Spring, Kentucky, at Richmond and at Lexington, Missouri, and from 1877 to 1879 at the academy of the University of Kentucky, where he was principal and taught modern languages. In 1880 he was professor of Latin and English at

Bethany College (West Virginia) Bethany College is a private liberal arts college in Bethany, West Virginia. Founded in 1840 by Alexander Campbell of the Restoration Movement, who gained support by the Virginia legislature, Bethany College was the first institution of higher ...

; and then became head of a private school at Lexington, Kentucky. Allen spent his youth in Lexington during the

Antebellum era In the history of the Southern United States, the Antebellum Period (from la, ante bellum, lit= before the war) spanned the end of the War of 1812 to the start of the American Civil War in 1861. The Antebellum South was characterized by the ...

, the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, and the Reconstruction periods. His childhood experience heavily influenced his writing. He described living at Scarlet Gate in the introduction to ''A Kentucky Cardinal.''

Career in New York

In 1893 Allen moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where he lived until his death. He was a contributor to ''

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...

'', ''

The Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'', and other popular magazines of the time. His novels include '' The Choir Invisible'', which was a very popular best seller in 1897.(6 October 1946)
Fifty Years of Best Sellers
compiled in ''Popular Culture''(19 February 1925)

''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

Death and legacy

Allen died "from

insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy, ...

" in 1925, and is buried in

Lexington Cemetery Lexington Cemetery is a private, non-profit rural cemetery and arboretum located at 833 W. Main Street, Lexington, Kentucky. The Lexington Cemetery was established in 1848 as a place of beauty and a public cemetery, in part to deal ...

. At the northern edge of Gratz Park in Lexington is the "Fountain of Youth", built in memory of Allen using proceeds willed to the city by him.Gratz Park Historic District, Lexington, Kentucky -- National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary
at www.cr.nps.gov James Lane Allen School, an elementary school off Alexandria Drive in Lexington, Kentucky is named in his honor.

Bibliography

Works published by Allen include: * ''Flute and Violin'' (1891) (compilation of previously published stories) * ''The Blue-Grass Region of Kentucky'' (1892) (second compilation) * ''John Gray'' (1893) * '' A Kentucky Cardinal'' (1894) * ''Aftermath'' (1895) (sequel to ''A Kentucky Cardinal'') * ''Summer in Arcady'' (1896) * '' The Choir Invisible'' (1897) * ''Two Gentlemen of Kentucky'' (1899) * ''The Increasing Purpose ''(1900) * ''The Reign of Law'' (1900) * ''The Mettle of the Pasture'' (1903) * ''The Bride of the Mistletoe'' (1909) * ''The Doctor's Christmas Eve'' (1910) * ''The Heroine in Bronze'' (1912) * ''The Last Christmas Tree'' (1914) * ''The Sword of Youth'' (1915) * ''A Cathedral Singer'' (1916) * ''The Kentucky Warbler'' (1918) * ''The Emblems of Fidelity'' (1919) * ''The Alabaster Box'' (1923) * ''The Landmark'' (1925)

Notes

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