born March 26, 1850, Chicopee Falls, Mass., U.S.
died May 22, 1898, Chicopee Falls
U.S. writer.
Bellamy first became aware of the plight of the urban poor at age 18 while studying in Germany. He engaged throughout his life in progressive causes and wrote several books reflecting his concerns, but he is known chiefly for his utopian novel Looking Backward (1888), which describes the U.S. in the year 2000 as an ideal socialist state featuring cooperation, brotherhood, and industry geared to human need. It sold more than a million copies; a sequel, Equality (1897), was less successful.
Bellamy
By courtesy of the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.