Tho ‧ reau, Henry David /ˈθɔːrəʊ $ θəˈrəʊ/ BrE AmE
(1817–62) a US writer and ↑ philosopher best known for his book Walden, or Life in the Woods , in which he describes his simple life in the countryside, and for ↑ civil disobedience , an ↑ essay on refusing to obey unfair laws, which influenced ↑ Gandhi and Martin Luther ↑ king ⇨ ↑ Walden Pond