Upon returning to the United States in 1832, Irving visited some of the little-known territories off the western fringes of the country, an expedition that inspired A Tour on the Prairies (1835). legation to London in 1829, a post he held until 1832. Irving was then appointed secretary of the U.S. Minister to Spain, he moved to Madrid in 1826 and embarked on extensive research for A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus (1828), as well as the works that became Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada (1829) and Tales of the Alhambra (1832). After accepting an invitation from the U.S. Irving followed with Bracebridge Hall (1822), and then Tales of a Traveller (1824). Published in several installments over the course of 1819-20, The Sketch Book contained two of the author's most famous works, 'Rip Van Winkle' and 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,' and made him a literary star both in England and the United States. When that endeavor failed, he composed a collection of stories and essays that became The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. In 1815, Irving traveled to England to help his brothers with the floundering family business. He landed a job as editor of Analectic Magazine, and briefly served in the military during the War of 1812. In a similar vein, he penned the History of New-York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty, by Diedrich Knickerbocker (1809), a satirical work that earned the writer widespread acclaim.ĭespite the early successes, Irving's career stalled as he sought to figure out what to do next. Preferring to indulge his creative impulses, Irving teamed with friend James Kirke Paulding and oldest brother William to publish Salamagundi, a periodical of humorous essays. After touring Europe from 1804-06, he returned to New York City to practice law – through by his own admission, he was not a good student, and in 1806 he barely passed the bar. and Sarah, he was named after George Washington, the hero of the just-completed American Revolution, and attended the presidential inauguration of his namesake in 1789.Įducated privately, Irving began writing essays under the pen name Jonathan Oldstyle for the Morning Chronicle, which was edited by older brother Peter. The youngest of 11 children of Scottish-English immigrant parents William Sr. Washington Irving was born on April 3, 1783, in New York City. ambassador to Spain in the 1840s, and pushed for stronger copyright laws before his death in 1859.

Author Washington Irving achieved international fame for the fictional stories 'Rip Van Winkle' and 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,' as well as for such biographical works as A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus.

Washington irving and the alhambra