Washington Irving

Washington Irving is an American author, essayist and biographer. He was born on April 3rd, 1783 in New York City, New York. Irving is best known for penning the 1819 short story "Rip Van Winkle" as well as the more popularly known "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", which was first published in 1820. Irving based this second short story on a German folktale that circulated throughout Dutch colonies in New York following the American Revolution. His story and in particular, the character of the Headless Horseman, was inspired by German author Johann Karl August Musäus. The characters of Ichabod Crane and Katrina Van Tassel may have been based on local residents known to the author. Irving's gripping tale has been adapted in many different format including a radio dramatisation, an animated segment by Walt Disney Productions in 1949 included in the film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad a 1972 animated short narrated by John Carradine and a major motion picture in 1999 directed by Tim Burton called Sleepy Hollow, starring Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane and Christopher Walken as the Headless Horseman. Washington Irving passed away in Tarrytown - the provincial setting for his story (later known as Sleepy Hollow) on November 28th, 1859 at the age of 76. He is buried at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.

Notes & Trivia

 * Is often regarded as being one of the first American fiction authors.