William Howells was an American realist author and literary critic. In 1904 he was one of the first seven members chosen for the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Howells wrote plays, criticism, and essays about contemporary literary figures such as Ibsen, Zola, Verga, and, Tolstoy. These writings helped to establish their reputations in the United States. Perhaps his greatest influence came from his writing critically in support of many American writers. In The Man of Letters as a Man of Business is an essay first published in 1893. Howells explains his fear that literature might be ruled by economic factors, as was journalism. Howells also saw that the importance of literature in U S society was diminishing. Howells saw the gradual decline of the respect showed to authors.