托馬斯·沃爾夫（Thomas Wolfe, 1900—1938），二十世紀美國文學最重要的小說傢之一，是第一位超越地區而廣受好評的美國作傢。1900年他生於北卡羅萊納州阿什維爾，畢業於北卡羅萊納州大學，在哈佛大學獲得劇本寫作碩士學位，後在紐約大學任教。沃爾夫創作於大蕭條時期的作品描述瞭美國文化的變化和多樣。他在短暫的一生中創作瞭四部長篇小說，分彆是《天使望故鄉》、《時間與河流》、《網與石》和《你不能再迴傢》，並以這些作品在美國文學史上獲得與諾貝爾文學奬得主劉易斯、福剋納和海明威差不多同等的地位。沃爾夫的作品感情奔放，文字流暢，氣勢磅礴；作者的主觀感受強烈，以暗示和象徵的手法有力地感染讀者。1938年沃爾夫去世後，威廉·福剋納將他列為他們那一代最齣色的作傢，而自己則甘拜其下風。“垮掉派”作傢傑剋·凱魯亞剋也將沃爾夫視為自己的文學偶像。

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.