托马斯·沃尔夫（Thomas Wolfe, 1900—1938），二十世纪美国文学最重要的小说家之一，是第一位超越地区而广受好评的美国作家。1900年他生于北卡罗莱纳州阿什维尔，毕业于北卡罗莱纳州大学，在哈佛大学获得剧本写作硕士学位，后在纽约大学任教。沃尔夫创作于大萧条时期的作品描述了美国文化的变化和多样。他在短暂的一生中创作了四部长篇小说，分别是《天使望故乡》、《时间与河流》、《网与石》和《你不能再回家》，并以这些作品在美国文学史上获得与诺贝尔文学奖得主刘易斯、福克纳和海明威差不多同等的地位。沃尔夫的作品感情奔放，文字流畅，气势磅礴；作者的主观感受强烈，以暗示和象征的手法有力地感染读者。1938年沃尔夫去世后，威廉·福克纳将他列为他们那一代最出色的作家，而自己则甘拜其下风。“垮掉派”作家杰克·凯鲁亚克也将沃尔夫视为自己的文学偶像。

The stunning, classic coming-of-age novel written by one of America's foremost Southern writersA legendary author on par with William Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor, Thomas Wolfe published "Look Homeward, Angel," his first novel, about a young man's burning desire to leave his small town and tumultuous family in search of a better life, in 1929. It gave the world proof of his genius and launched a powerful legacy.The novel follows the trajectory of Eugene Gant, a brilliant and restless young man whose wanderlust and passion shape his adolescent years in rural North Carolina. Wolfe said that "Look Homeward, Angel" is "a book made out of my life," and his largely autobiographical story about the quest for a greater intellectual life has resonated with and influenced generations of readers, including some of today's most important novelists. Rich with lyrical prose and vivid characterizations, this twentieth-century American classic will capture the hearts and imaginations of every reader.