H. L. Mencken (1880–1956), essayist, humorist, and influential literary critic, championed literary newcomers of his time such as Theodore Dreiser and Sinclair Lewis. Known for his wit and his caustic view of life, Mencken published six volumes of provocative essays, entitled Prejudices, on American culture. His autobiographical trilogy, Happy Days, Newspaper Days, and Heathen Days, recounts experiences in journalism. Mencken once recalled reading Huckleberry Finn as “the most stupendous event in my life.” His work The American Language is a definitive study of the way Americans speak English.
