Theodore Dreiser

Theodore DreiserTheodore Dreiser was born in Terre Haute, Indiana on August 27, 1871 to Sarah Maria and John Paul Dreiser. He was the twelfth of thirteen children (ninth of the ten that survived), with one of his brothers being Paul Dreiser, who changed the spelling of his name to Dresser as he became a popular songwriter. His childhood was characterized by severe poverty, and his dad could be harsh, and his later fiction reflects these experiences.