# Frank Norris

## Biography

Frank Norris was an influential American novelist, born in Chicago on March 5, 1870. His family moved to San Francisco when he was fourteen, and he later studied art in Paris, where he was exposed to the naturalist writings of Émile Zola, significantly shaping his literary perspective. Norris attended the University of California, Berkeley, and Harvard University, though he did not complete a degree.

He embarked on a career as a journalist and war correspondent before dedicating himself to fiction. Norris became a leading figure in American naturalism, a literary movement that explored the impact of social and economic forces on human lives. His notable works include McTeague, a grim tale of obsession and downfall, and The Octopus, the first part of his unfinished "Epic of the Wheat" trilogy, which depicted the struggle between California wheat farmers and a powerful railroad corporation. Norris's writing blended realism with poetic elements, often focusing on the harsher realities of life and the brutality inherent in society. His promising career was cut short when he died from complications of appendicitis on October 25, 1902, at the age of 32.

## Books

- [McTeague: A Story of San Francisco](https://samolit.com/books/96478)