Twenty Years of My Life

"Twenty Years of My Life" by Douglas Brooke Wheelton Sladen is a memoir that chronicles the author’s adventures and relationships with famous writers of his time in London during the late 1800s. Sladen, who changes his professional life from law to literature, recollects experiences from traveling to places like Australia, Japan, and the United States, demonstrating the forces behind his writing. The memoir starts with Sladen's upbringing, describing the important happenings and factors that led him to become a writer. He thinks back on his childhood, learning, and early wishes, as well as stories from his travels that fed his literary dreams, setting the stage for later chapters that examine his relationships with many authors and the lively literary world of that era.