by Sasha Newborn (Editor), Edward Everett Hale (Author)
A minor classic of American literature, The Man Without a Country was written in the midst of the Civil War to bring home the emotional point of leaving the Union with no prospect of returning. The character is fictitious but many of the events and situations described are historically accurate. This short piece captures the essence of patriotism from the flip side -- and the remorse of having taken a youthful stand of defiance.
Author Biography
Edward Everett Hale may have been named after his uncle, the Edward Everett who gave a Gettysburg address alongside Lincoln in the very same year in which this little book was first published in Atlantic Monthly. E.E. Hale was also a nephew of Nathan Hale. He served as a Unitarian minister for most of his life, and became known as a writer of short stories.