Washington Orwell, a famous American writer, was born on April 3, 1783, in a wealthy business family in New York City. From his youth he loved to read the works of English writers Scott, Byron and Pence. After graduating from high school, he followed his father's duty to study law in a law firm, but his interest was in literature.

In 1802, 19-year-old Owen published several papers in the Morning Journal, and later went to Europe to rest because of his illness, traveling through France, England and Italy, making a lot of travel notes, and accumulating rich material for his later work. In 1809, his first work, The Foreign History of New York, was published under the name of Didrich Nick Boker. It was a unique style and harmonious work that fully demonstrated Owen's humor. After the publication of The Foreign History of New York, Owen became a famous figure in the New York literature. Before this, although the United States had gained independence for more than thirty years, it has always failed to get rid of the English bondage in literature, making enough to represent this new bourgeois republic. The work of The Foreign History of New York, written under the national title, has

In 1815 Owen went to England again. He traveled all over the scenic spots and historical sites in Britain, and with his admiration for the ancient British civilization and yearning for the former capitalist society, he wrote the famous Notes on Seeing and Hearing and Bresbridge Grange with similar style. Notes on Seeing is Owen's masterpiece, including 32 novels, essays, miscellaneous feelings, etc. It describes the ancient customs and habits of Britain and America and the kind and simple old-fashioned characters with humorous style and fantastical romance. After this work was published in Britain, it was highly valued by European and American literary circles, and established Owen's position in the history of American literature.

In 1826, Owen went to Spain to gather valuable information about Columbus, to visit Granada, and to stay in the Palace of Alhambra for three months. All this inspired his interest in the study of Spanish history. Before 1929, he wrote three books about Spain: Columbus, Granada, and Alhambra. In these works, Owen told stories, revealing the luxury of the ruling class and praising the struggle of the Moors for freedom and happiness.

After writing Alhambra, Owen's enthusiasm for creation declined. In 1832, he returned to his homeland after a 17-year absence. He spent most of his later years in his hometown, except for a few years as American minister to Spain.

On November 28, 1859, the American people mourned in the lower half of the flag of New York for his outstanding contribution to literature, and many of the outstanding works of Owen have been recited to this day, becoming a valuable literary heritage.