Heyday (novel)

Heyday is a 2007 historical novel by Kurt Andersen, published by Random House. In 2008, it won the Langum Prize, awarded annually to the best work of American historical fiction.^[1]

Heyday

First edition of Hey Day
Author	Kurt Andersen
Language	English
Genre	Historical fiction
Publisher	Random House
Publication date	January 1, 2007
Pages	622
Award	David J. Langum Sr. Prize for American Historical Fiction
ISBN	9780375504730

Summary

The protagonist, Ben Knowles, is from a London manufacturing family. In 1848 he experiences the disorders in Paris and then resolves to move to the United States, the 'New World,' "craving vulgarity and strangeness" (page 6). In New York he encounters Timothy Skaggs, a journalist, novelist and pioneering photographer, Duff Lucking, a fire-fighter and Mexican–American War veteran, and Duff's sister Polly, an actress and prostitute. The novel charts the characters as they journey west and participate in the California Gold Rush.