Heyday is a 2007 historical novel by Kurt Andersen, published by Random House. In 2008, it won the Langum Prize, awarded annually to the best work of American historical fiction.[1]

Heyday
First edition of Hey Day
AuthorKurt Andersen
LanguageEnglish
GenreHistorical fiction
PublisherRandom House
Publication date
January 1, 2007
Pages622
AwardDavid J. Langum Sr. Prize for American Historical Fiction
ISBN9780375504730

Summary

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The protagonist, Ben Knowles, is from a London manufacturing family. In 1848 he experiences the disorders in Paris and then resolves to move to the United States, the 'New World,' "craving vulgarity and strangeness" (page 6). In New York he encounters Timothy Skaggs, a journalist, novelist and pioneering photographer, Duff Lucking, a fire-fighter and Mexican–American War veteran, and Duff's sister Polly, an actress and prostitute. The novel charts the characters as they journey west and participate in the California Gold Rush.

References

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  1. ^ Van Gelder, L. (2008, April 10). Footnotes. New York Times. p. 2. Last accessed Oct. 8, 2012.