A Son of the Middle Border

Hamlin Garland (1860 - 1940)

In all the region of autobiography, so far as I know it, I do not know quite the like of Mr. Garland's story of his life, and I should rank it with the very greatest of that kind in literature. . . . It is the poet who sees the vast scale of human struggle with nature or the things she will withhold unless they are forced from her by man's tireless toil and mighty mechanism, and in the vision he knows a battle-joy as distinctive of this Son of the Middle Border as his fidelity to the sordid and squalid details of the campaign, or his exultation of the beauty of the West which he has so passionately hated and finally so passionately loves. As you read the story of his life you realize it the memorial of a generation, of a whole order of American experience; as you review it you perceive it an epic of such mood and make as has not been imagined before.(Introduction by William Dean Howells, New York Times review, August 26, 1917)

Genre(s): Biography & Autobiography, Family & Relationships

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 01 01 - Home from the War Greg W.
00:24:41
Play 02 02 - The McClintocks Greg W.
00:24:12
Play 03 03 - The Home in the Coulee Greg W.
00:31:08
Play 04 04 - Father Sells the Farm Greg W.
00:15:22
Play 05 05 - The Last Threshing in the Coulee Greg W.
00:18:25
Play 06 06 - David and His Violin Greg W.
00:16:47
Play 07 07 - Winneshiek 'Woods and Prairie Lands' Greg W.
00:22:16
Play 08 08 - We Move Again Greg W.
00:12:54
Play 09 09 - Our First Winter on the Prairie Greg W.
00:28:21
Play 10 10 - The Homestead on the Knoll Greg W.
00:15:03
Play 11 11 - School Life Greg W.
00:18:26
Play 12 12 - Chores and Almanacs Greg W.
00:16:51
Play 13 13 - Boy Life on the Prairie Greg W.
00:40:18
Play 14 14 - Wheat and the Harvest Greg W.
00:34:26
Play 15 15 - Harriet Goes Away Greg W.
00:24:03
Play 16 16 - We Move to Town Greg W.
00:32:09
Play 17 17 - A Taste of Village Life Greg W.
00:29:28
Play 18 18 - Back to the Farm Greg W.
00:34:59
Play 19 19 - End of School Days Greg W.
00:25:31
Play 20 20 - The Land of the Dakotas Greg W.
00:27:20
Play 21 21 - The Grasshopper and the Ant Greg W.
00:39:12
Play 22 22 - We Discover New England Greg W.
00:24:29
Play 23 23 - Coasting Down Mt Washington Inah Derby
00:16:24
Play 24 24 - Tramping, NY, Washington & Chicago Inah Derby
00:28:25
Play 25 25 - The Land of the Straddle-Bug Inah Derby
00:35:17
Play 26 26 - On to Boston Inah Derby
00:29:50
Play 27 27 - Enter a Friend Inah Derby
00:40:17
Play 28 28 - A Visit to the West Inah Derby
00:43:47
Play 29 29 - I Join the Anti-Poverty Brigade Inah Derby
00:41:31
Play 30 30 - My Mother is Stricken Inah Derby
00:26:55
Play 31 31 - Main Travelled Roads Inah Derby
00:21:12
Play 32 32 - The Spirit of Revolt Inah Derby
00:22:46
Play 33 33 - The End of the Sunset Trail Inah Derby
00:13:19
Play 34 34 - We Go to California Inah Derby
00:28:29
Play 35 35 - The Homestead in the Valley Inah Derby
00:26:41