Abstract

Garland of the Academy

The article discusses the book "Companions on the Trail," by Hamlin Garland. This sixth volume in Garland's chronicle of himself and his family, covers the period from 1900 to 1917, concentrating on his literary life and his experiences in the world of art and letters. The book also has value as a document in the case history of its author, in the late eighties and early nineties Garland was a literary rebel, an ardent single-taxer and an active worker for populism. The fiction thus inspired laid the foundations of a literary reputation and gradually Garland realized his ambition for his family. Though far from wealthy, be found himself on the road to comfort and respectability. Accepted in literary and academic circles, he became fastidious and a little contemptuous of dirt and disorder.