E. P. Roe
E. P. Roe was a prominent American author known for his religious fiction during the latter half of the 19th century, with a notable output of over twenty published titles and sales exceeding five million copies. Born in 1838 in Modena, New York, Roe was the son of a farmer and an early abolitionist. After a conversion experience that led him to pursue a ministerial career, he completed his training at Auburn Seminary and was ordained in 1862. Roe's literary career began to flourish after he wrote "Barriers Burned Away" in 1872, inspired by his observations of the aftermath of the Chicago fire. His novels often explored themes such as the tension between faith and skepticism, social class dynamics, and the reconciliation of conflict, particularly in the context of the Civil War and American values. In addition to fiction, he also authored gardening manuals, reflecting his interest in cultivating a profitable garden. Roe's last work before his passing in 1888, "The Earth Trembled," dealt with the theme of disaster and reconciliation, continuing his exploration of human resilience and moral struggles. His legacy includes a nineteen-volume collection of his works published posthumously in 1900.
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E. P. Roe
Writer
- Born: March 7, 1838
- Birthplace: Modena, New York
- Died: July 19, 1888
Biography
E. P. Roe was a popular writer of religious fiction in the second part of the nineteenth century, who also wrote on gardening. He had more than twenty titles to his credit, and after his death in 1888, a nineteen-volume set of his work was produced in 1900. His sales amounted to some five million copies.
He was born in 1838 in Modena, New York, the seventh child of Peter and Susan Roe. His father was a farmer who moved from New York City and became the first abolitionist in Orange County. Roe attended a private school run by an older brother, then a boarding school from 1857 to 1859, having decided to become a minister after a significant religious conversion experience. He then moved on to Williams College but had to drop out because of poor eyesight. His health recovered enough for him to complete his ministerial training at Auburn Seminary in 1861, and he was subsequently ordained at Somers, New York, in 1862.
During the Civil War he was variously an army chaplain and a student at Union Theological Seminary. In 1863, he married Anna Sands, a childhood friend. In 1866, he was appointed to a Presbyterian Church near West Point, where, among many other projects, he began cultivating a garden for profit. In 1871, he visited the site of the huge Chicago fire, and this gave him an idea for a book. This emerged as the novel Barriers Burned Away, published in 1872 and greatly successful. In it are themes he was to develop later: the struggle between true faith and skepticism; between American values and European; and a romantic interest, symbolizing the resolution of conflicts through conversion.
Although plot directions are predictable, Roe’s subject matter varied widely. Edith, the rich young protagonist in What Can She Do? (1873) loses her city wealth, moves to the country, and accepts the love of a poor Christian gardener. Opening a Chestnut Burr (1874) deals with a young man returning to faith through love of a believing girl. Several novels dealt with the Civil War and the need for reconciliation between North and South. Patriotic values are also enshrined in novels about the Revolutionary War, although most of Roe’s settings are contemporary. Another theme is the destructive force of addictive behavior, whether caused by drink or drugs.
Roe was forced by ill health to resign his church ministry, seeing his vocation fulfilled in his writing. He also wrote several manuals on gardening for profit. His last novel before his death, The Earth Trembled (1887), was another disaster novel, this time about the Charleston earthquake. Again, reconciliation through disaster features.