Maggie by Stephen Crane

Maggie: A Girl of the Streets is an 1893 novella by American author Stephen Crane (1871–1900). The story centers on Maggie, a young girl from the Bowery who is driven to unfortunate circumstances by poverty and solitude. The work was considered risqué by publishers because of its literary realism and strong themes. Crane – who was 22 years old at the time – financed the books publication himself, although the original 1893 edition was printed under the pseudonym Johnston Smith. After the success of 1895s The Red Badge of Courage, Maggie was reissued in 1896 with considerable changes and re-writing.