Nathaniel Hathorne, as his name was originally spelled, was born on July 4, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts his birthplace is preserved and open to the public. Portrait of Nathaniel Hawthorne by Charles Osgood, 1841 (Peabody Essex Museum) His published works include novels, short stories, and a biography of his college friend Franklin Pierce, written for his 1852 campaign for President of the United States, which Pierce won, becoming the 14th president.

His themes often center on the inherent evil and sin of humanity, and his works often have moral messages and deep psychological complexity. His fiction works are considered part of the Romantic movement and, more specifically, dark romanticism. Much of Hawthorne's writing centers on New England, many works featuring moral metaphors with an anti- Puritan inspiration. A political appointment as consul took Hawthorne and family to Europe before their return to Concord in 1860. The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850, followed by a succession of other novels. The couple moved to The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, later moving to Salem, the Berkshires, then to The Wayside in Concord. He worked at the Boston Custom House and joined Brook Farm, a transcendentalist community, before marrying Peabody in 1842. The following year, he became engaged to Sophia Peabody.

He published several short stories in periodicals, which he collected in 1837 as Twice-Told Tales. He published his first work in 1828, the novel Fanshawe he later tried to suppress it, feeling that it was not equal to the standard of his later work. Hawthorne entered Bowdoin College in 1821, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in 1824, and graduated in 1825. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that town. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. Nathaniel Hawthorne (J– May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer.

Hester Prynne by Harold Bloom