Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) Was a Great American Author. Thoreau Was a Younger Member of the Transcendentalist Group That Flourished In Mid 19Th-Century New England and Was Probably Its Best Literary Artist. His Fame Rest Primarily on His Unique Master Piece Walden and His Famous Essays Like “Civil Disobedience” That Influenced Anti-Establishmentarians Like Mahatma Gandhi.