Henry James (1843-1916) spent his early life in America, but often traveled with his celebrated family to Europe. After briefly attending Harvard, he began to contribute both criticism and tales to magazines. Later, he visited Europe and began Roderick Hudson . Late in 1875, he settled in Paris, where he met Turgenev, Flaubert, and Zola and wrote The American . In 1876, he moved to London, where two years later he achieved international fame with Daisy Miller . His other famous works include The Portrait of a Lady (1881), The Princess Casamassima (1886), The Wings of the Dove (1902), The Ambassadors (1903), and The Golden Bowl (1904). In 1915, a few months before his death, he became a British subject.

Regina Barreca , professor of English at the University of Connecticut, edited The Penguin Book of Women’s Humor and wrote They Used to Call Me Snow White . . . But I Drifted ; Perfect Husbands (and Other Fairy Tales) ; and Sweet Revenge: The Wicked Delights of Getting Even . She writes for the Chicago Tribune, The Hartford Courant, The New York Times , Cosmopolitan , Ms. , and other publications, and has appeared, often as a repeat guest, on 20/20 , 48 Hours , and Today . She can be reached via her Web site, www.ginabarreca.com.

Colm Tóibín was born Ireland in 1955 and lives in Dublin. He is the author of five novels including the Booker-shortlisted The Blackwater Lightship and The Master , and of the short story collection Mothers and Sons . His nonfiction includes The Sign of the Cross and Love in a Dark Time.