托馬斯·剋萊頓·沃爾夫(1900—1938)齣生於北卡羅來納州一個石匠傢庭。自幼酷愛閱讀與幻想，二十歲畢業於北卡羅來納州立大學，進入哈佛研究院學習戲劇，獲英國文學碩士學位，並在紐約大學任教。一丸二九年，他憑自傳體小說《天使，望故鄉》蜚聲文壇，被認為是最有前途的美國小．說傢。一九三五年《時間與河流》齣版，成為暢銷書。僅三年後，沃爾夫便因病去世。他的大量遺藕經編輯齣版，成為另兩部長篇小說《蛛網與磐石》和《你不能再迴傢》，短篇小說集《從死亡到早晨》，以及一部未完成的雜集《遠山》。沃爾夫的自傳體小說圍繞作者的生平經曆與感受形成瞭一個整體。從齣生開始寫起，一直到主人公以成名作傢的身份重迴故鄉為止，重現瞭作者本人充濺孤獨、幻想、思索與渴望的一生。

The sequel to Thomas Wolfe's remarkable first novel, "Look Homeward, Angel, Of Time and the River" is one of the great classics of American literature. The book chronicles the maturing of Wolfe's autobiographical character, Eugene Gant, in his desperate search for fulfillment, making his way from small-town North Carolina to the wider world of Harvard University, New York City, and Europe. In a massive, ambitious, and boldly passionate novel, Wolfe examines the passing of time and the nature of the creative process, as Gant slowly but ecstatically embraces the urban life, recognizing it as a necessary ordeal for the birth of his creative genius as a writer.The work of an exceptionally expressive writer of fertile imagination and startling emotional intensity, "Of Time and the River" illuminates universal truths about art and life, city and country, past and present. It is a novel that is majestic and enduring. As P. M. Jack observed in "The New York Times, " "It is a triumphant demonstration that Thomas Wolfe has the stamina to produce a magnificent epic of American life."This edition, published in celebration of Wolfe's centennial anniversary, contains a new introduction by Pat Conroy.