Stephen Crane was born on November 1, 1871 and died in June 5, 1900 Stephen Crane was an American author. Crane began writing at the age of four and had published several articles by the age of 16. He left school in 1891 to work as a reporter and writer. Crane's first novel was the 1893 Bowery tale Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, generally considered by critics to be the first work of American literary Naturalism. He won international acclaim in 1895 for his Civil War novel The Red Badge of Courage, which he wrote without any battle experience. During the final years of his life, he covered conflicts in Greece and lived in England with Cora, where he befriended writers like Joseph Conrad and H. G. Wells. Plagued by financial difficulties and ill health, Crane died of tuberculosis at the age of 28.