Saul's Collection (Volume 1)

Author: Thoreau
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1996-12-01
Features: Thoreau's life was so simple and rich, yet so solitary and fragrant. It can also be said that his life was quite extraordinary and never lonely. His readers will discover that his spiritual life was extremely rich and exquisite, rare in the world, and few people knew him personally, but many knew him spiritually. Mr. Thoreau was companioned by solitude. He was often alone. He believed that solitude was the best companion. His life was very simple and quiet. Thoreau was born in Concord on July 12, 1817; he attended and graduated from Harvard University (1833-1837); returned to his hometown and taught for two years (1838-1840). Then he moved to the home of the great writer and thinker Ralph Waldo Emerson (1841-1843), serving as a disciple and assistant, and began to try writing. By 1845, he lived alone with an axe and moved into the uninhabited woods by Walden Pond, living alone until he returned to Concord in 1847. In 1848, he lived with Emerson again; in 1849, he completed a book titled A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. Around the same time, he published a highly famous and influential essay titled On Civil Disobedience, which literally translates to "On the Right to Civil Disobedience." We will discuss it later. Then, Walden was published. The book received some attention, but initially, it was not very significant. Over time, its influence grew larger. In 1859, he supported the movement against slavery in the United States; when the leader of the movement, John Brown, was arrested and sentenced to hang, he delivered a speech in defense of Brown and called for support, rang the church bells, and held a memorial service. Afterward, he contracted tuberculosis, which could not be cured, and died in Concord in 1862 at the age of 44.