Sherwood Anderson: 8 curious facts 150 years after his birth

This September 13th marks 150 years since the birth of Sherwood Anderson, an American writer whose work left a profound mark on 20th-century literature. Known for his mastery of the short story and as one of the first to explore the challenges of industrialization, Anderson painted a vivid portrait of the American Midwest with his words. While his most famous novel, Winesburg, Ohio, is a classic, Anderson's life was full of unexpected twists and experiences that shaped his unique worldview. Here are some curiosities about his life that will help you better understand the man behind the stories.

His "adventure" in the Spanish-American War ended without combat

In 1898, as the United States prepared for the Spanish-American War, Sherwood Anderson decided to enlist in the army. Although his resources in Chicago were limited at the time, he returned to Clyde, Ohio, to join a company that would soon be incorporated into the army at Camp Bushnell, according to Wikipedia.

He spent several months training in various southern camps before being sent to Cuba in early 1899. However, by the time Anderson and his company arrived, the fighting had already ceased four months prior. On April 21, 1899, they left Cuba without having participated in any combat. Despite seeing no action, Anderson was popular among his comrades, known for his fondness for reading dime Western novels and his knack for finding female company, as biographer Irving Howe noted.

They called him "Jobby" because he always found something to do

From a very young age, Sherwood Anderson showed great initiative in making a living. His family didn't have it easy: his father, Irwin McLain Anderson, a former soldier and harness maker, lost his comfortable economic standing, and his mother, Emma Jane, took in laundry to help make ends meet. Faced with this situation, young Sherwood became very adept at finding all sorts of odd jobs.

This ability earned him the nickname "Jobby," a moniker his acquaintances used to refer to him, as stated in his Wikipedia biography. He was a newsboy, errand boy, water boy, stable boy, and even a printer's assistant and helped his father as a sign painter. He also worked assembling bicycles for the Elmore Manufacturing Company. His talent for sales was so natural that, as a newspaper delivery boy, he once convinced a tired farmer in a tavern to buy two copies of the same evening paper.

Despite leaving school at 14, he graduated from a prep academy at 23

Economic necessity led Anderson to abandon formal schooling at age 14, after only about nine months in high school. However, this did not extinguish his thirst for knowledge. He was a voracious reader, and although there were few books in his home, he made good use of those borrowed from the school library and from the personal collections of a school principal and a local artist.

Years later, at the age of twenty-three, Anderson decided to resume his education. In September 1899, he enrolled in the final year of the Wittenberg Academy, a preparatory school on the campus of Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. There he excelled, earning good grades and participating in various extracurricular activities. In the spring of 1900, he graduated and delivered a speech on Zionism, being one of eight students chosen to speak at the ceremony, a remarkable achievement for someone who had left school so early. His story reminds us of other literary figures who, as we covered in this article about Concepción de Estevarena, had unconventional educational paths.

His novel Tar: A Midwest Childhood was inspired by a childhood of constant moves

Anderson's family life was marked by instability. His father, Irwin, initially seemed promising, but began accumulating debts and drinking excessively. This led the family to leave Camden, Ohio, his birthplace, before Sherwood turned one. They moved several times, passing through Independence (now Butler) and Caledonia.

These years in Caledonia, which formed his earliest memories, became the basis for his semi-autobiographical novel Tar: A Midwest Childhood (1926), as detailed on Wikipedia. With each move, his father's financial situation worsened, until, upon settling in Clyde, Ohio, in 1884, Irwin could only find occasional work as a day laborer. This experience of precarity and constant change left an indelible mark on Anderson's work, which often explored themes of rootlessness and the search for identity in the Midwest.

His mother's death led him to live in a stable

Sherwood Anderson's life took a dramatic turn in 1895. His father had begun disappearing for weeks, and the family's situation was very precarious. Two years prior, his older brother, Karl, had left for Chicago. On May 10, 1895, his mother, Emma Jane, passed away from tuberculosis.

This event left Sherwood, at just 18 years old, practically alone. At that time, he lodged in the Harvey & Yetter stable, where he worked as a stable boy. This experience, which might seem harsh, would become a source of inspiration for several of his best-known stories, giving him a unique perspective on life and work. His father, with whom he was estranged for two decades, passed away in 1919.

He was a successful advertising executive before fully dedicating himself to writing

Before establishing himself as the acclaimed writer we know, Sherwood Anderson had an unexpected career in the advertising world. From his teenage years, his talent for sales was evident, as demonstrated when he sold two identical newspapers to the same farmer.

This gift led him to a successful career in advertising, a field that, while different from literature, provided him with economic stability and life experience that would later nourish his works. Although the biography does not detail his exact time in advertising, it mentions that this talent would be "drawn upon later in a successful career in advertising," according to Wikipedia. This contrast between his business persona and his later dedication to writing underscores the richness of his personal journey.

He was a pioneer in portraying the problems of industrialization in the United States

Beyond his personal biography, Sherwood Anderson is remembered for his significant contribution to literature. He was recognized as a master of the short story technique, a genre in which he left an indelible mark. But his impact was not limited to form; he was also one of the first writers to deeply address the social problems and transformations brought about by industrialization in the United States.

His work, especially Winesburg, Ohio, explores the complexities of life in small Midwestern towns, where characters grapple with loneliness, frustration, and the search for meaning in a rapidly changing world. Anderson skillfully captured the essence of these lives, offering a human and often melancholic look at an era of great change.

He died in Panama from peritonitis

Sherwood Anderson's life ended unexpectedly far from his native Ohio. He passed away on March 8, 1941, at the age of 64, in Colón City, Panama. The cause of his death was peritonitis, an inflammation of the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen.

This outcome, so far removed from the literary scene of the United States, adds a final twist to the life of a man who was always on the move, exploring both geographically and in his writing. His burial is in Round Hill Cemetery, closing a chapter in the history of one of the great narrators of the American experience.

Why it matters

Sherwood Anderson was not just a talented writer; he was a keen observer of the human condition and a chronicler of his time. His ability to capture the essence of ordinary lives in the Midwest, with their broken dreams and silent battles, made him a unique voice. His works not only entertain us but also invite us to reflect on how environments and circumstances shape people, and how literature can provide a window into those universal truths. 150 years after his birth, his legacy remains as relevant as ever.