caption death_date death_place children birth_place influences birth_date spouse signature image article_title name
william dean howells , by underwood & underwood . 11 may 1920 manhattan , new york , u.s. winifred -lrb- b. 1868 -rrb- mildred howells -lrb- b. 1872 -rrb- howells -lrb- b. 1863 -rrb- john mead howells martins u.s. ferry -lrb- then martinsville -rrb- , ohio , christian bliss socialism , leo tolstoy , william dwight porter 1 march 1837 elinor mead appleton 's howells william dean signature.jpg w. d. howells.jpg william dean howells
 william dean howells
william dean howells

william dean howells -lrb- ; march 1 , 1837 -- may 11 , 1920 -rrb- was an american realist author , literary critic , and playwright .
nicknamed `` the dean of american letters '' , he was particularly known for his tenure as editor of the `` atlantic monthly '' as well as his own prolific writings , including the christmas story `` christmas every day '' , and the novels `` the rise of silas lapham '' and `` a traveler from altruria '' .
