John Roderigo Dos Passos (1896-1970) was an American novelist and artist. In 1912 he attended Harvard University. Following his graduation in 1916 he travelled to Spain to study art and architecture. With World War I raging in Europe and America not yet participating, Dos Passos volunteered in July 1917 for the S. S.U. 60 of the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps. He worked as a driver in Paris and in north-central Italy. By the late summer of 1918, he had completed a draft of his first novel. Considered one of the Lost Generation writers, Dos Passos’ first novel, One Man’s Initiation- 1917, was published in 1920. It was followed by an antiwar story, Three Soldiers (1921). His major work is the U. S.A. trilogy comprising The 42nd Parallel (1930), Nineteen Nineteen (1932), and The Big Money (1936). Between 1942 and 1945, Dos Passos worked as a journalist covering World War II. His other works include: A Pushcart at the Curb (1922), Streets of Night (1923) and Journeys Between Wars (1938).