The Ambassadors, published in 1903, is considered by theauthor himself to be his most 'perfect' work of art. In this novel, with much humour and delicacy of perception, the author depicts the reaction of different American types to the European environment. Lambert Strether, a middle-aged American of no particular achievements, is sent to Paris by Mrs. Newsome, a wealthy widow, to discover what, or who, is keeping her son Chad in the notorious city of pleasure and to persuade him to return to Massachusetts and his responsibilities as head of the family business. Strether's success as an ambassador will ensure his marriage to Mrs. Newsome. In Paris he finds Chad miraculously transformed by the influence of a charming French woman, Madame de Vionnet. As the Parisian spring advances, he himself succumbs to the congenial atmosphere of Paris and the mysterious charm of Madame de Vionnet. Mrs. Newsome sends further ambassadors—her daughter Sarah and Sarah's husband and sister-in-law – to appeal to Chad.....
Henry James (1843-1916) novelist, short-story writer, playwright, critic and essayist, was born in New York City. His father was a famous theologian and philosopher. His elder brother, William, was also a famous philosopher. He was educated by private tutors until the age of 12 and then at schools in Boulogne, Paris, Geneva, Bonn and—when the family returned to the United States—at Newport, Rhode Island. He entered Harvard Law School in 1862 but withdrew after a year and began to spend his time on writing. In 1860s his early reviews and critical essays were published in The North American Review and The Atlantic Monthly. In 1875, after two prior visits to Europe, he lived for a year in Paris, where he met Flaubert, Turgenev and other literary figures. Next year he moved to London where he became very popular in society. In 1915, a few months before his death, he got British citizenship. In January 1916 King George V conferred the Order of Merit on him. He died in London on February 28, 1916.
In addition to many short stories, plays, books of criticism, autobiography and travel, he wrote about twenty novels, which included The Europeans, Washington Square, The Portrait of a Lady, The Bostonians, The Princess Casamassima, The Tragic Muse, The Spoils of Poynton, The Awkward Age, The Wings of the Dove, The Ambassadors and The Golden Bowl.
