Written by a Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning American poet and critic this is the finest and most insightful study available about the life and literary achievements of Stephen Crane (1871-1900) poet and author of the masterpiece <I>The Red Badge of Courage</I>. In addition to providing a complete (and exciting) picture of Crane's life Berryman gives a focused assessment of Crane's poetry prose and journalism discussing how critics have regarded these writings over the course of a century.