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Owen Wister

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Author

The Resume

    (July 14, 1860-July 21, 1938)
    Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    Best known for writing the Western novel 'The Virginian' (1902)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was going to become a lawyer, but before he went to Harvard Law School, he suffered a mysterious breakdown, with symptoms that included vertigo, blinding headaches and hallucinations.
    Although known as 'the father of the Western,' he never wrote another Western after 'The Virginian.'
    Although a prolific author, writing everything from biographies and poems to an opera, he is remembered solely for 'The Virginian.'
    The New York Times suggested 'The Virginian' would be a disappointment to many modern readers: '[It] turned out to be not only corny and flag-waving but also intolerant and reactionary by today's standards.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    At Harvard, he edited the Harvard Lampoon and wrote the Hasty Pudding Club's show 'DIdo and Aeneas.'
    A doctor ordered him to go West to cure his breakdown, and he became fascinated with the region.
    He was lifelong friends with fellow transplanted Easterners Teddy Roosevelt and Frederic Remington.
    'The Virginian' established the template for just about every Western that followed.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 7 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 57 Votes: 52.63% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 10 Votes: 70.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 9 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 108 Votes: 61.11% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 110 Votes: 56.36% Annoying