“Nothing manifests more persuasively the American contradiction than that the author of the Declaration of Independence, a slave owner, wrote an antislavery clause into the document - as if to compel himself to be better than he was - which then had to be edited out so the Southern states, including Thomas Jefferson's own, would sign it.”

American novelist

Stephen Michael Erickson is an American novelist known for works such as Days Between Stations, Tours of the Black Clock and Zeroville. His fiction has brought him recognition as a distinctive voice in contemporary American literature. He is the author of several influential novels, including Days Between Stations, Tours of the Black Clock and Zeroville. His career has been marked by honors such as the American Academy of Arts and Letters award, the Lannan Lifetime Achievement Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship.