Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of the most talented American authors of the 19th century perished on May 19th, 1864. At the time, he was traveling through Plymouth, New Hampshire, in the company of his dear friend and schoolmate, former-president Franklin Pierce. Four years earlier, he had returned from a prolonged sojourn in Europe, having served several years as a diplomat in England, and then settled on the Continent. By the time of his death, however, Hawthorne was succumbing to increasingly-frequent bouts of dementia, and his health was failing. These circumstances inspired me to attempt this little fictionalization of the event. I repeat, this is a work of fiction. Although the characters and locations are historical, be warned that it may not have happened like this.
The Death of Nathaniel Hawthorne
A Tale in Nine Episodes
As told by Franklin Pierce