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An Amateur Laborer

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An Amateur Laborer
First edition
AuthorTheodore Dreiser
LanguageEnglish
Genreautobiography
PublisherUniversity of Pennsylvania Press
Publication date
1983
Publication placeUnited States

An Amateur Laborer is an autobiographical book by Theodore Dreiser.

Overview

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Although started in 1904, it was only published posthumously in 1983.[1]

The book is an autobiographical account of a three-year struggle with neurasthenia[1] in the aftermath of Sister Carrie 's financial failure.[2] After being constantly turned down for publications while living in Brooklyn, Dreiser finds a job as a manual worker on a railroad.[2] Eventually, his brother Paul Dresser sends him to a health resort, leading to his replenished morale.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b Keith Newlin, A Theodore Dreiser Encyclopedia, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2003, p. 8 [1]
  2. ^ a b c E.L. Doctorow, 'The Novelist Who Was Born', The New York Times, December 4, 1983 [2]