Stephen Vincent Benét (1898-1943) was an American poet, short story writer, and novelist. He is best known for his book-length narrative poem of the American Civil War, John Brown's Body (1928), for which he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1929. He also wrote the short stories "The Devil and Daniel Webster" (1937) and "By the Waters of Babylon" (1937). Benét was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and grew up in a military family. He attended Yale University, where he was editor of the Yale Literary Magazine. After graduating in 1919, he worked as a journalist and wrote poetry and short stories. His first book of poetry, Five Men and Pompey (1925), was well received. Benét was a prolific writer, and his works often explored themes of American history and folklore. He wrote several novels, including The Beginning of Wisdom (1930) and The King of the Cats (1929). He also wrote plays, including The Devil and Daniel Webster (1938). Benét died in 1943 at the age of 45. He was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1944 for his book Western Star (1943).
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