WASCHINGTON IRVING (1783-1859) was born in New York city, one of 11 children. Irving studied law and passed the bar examination in 1806, but earlier he had discovered his true talent by writing satirical sketches and stories under the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle, Gent. In 1809 he published A History of New York under the now famous pen name Diedrich Knickerbocker. "The-Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle" first appeared in one of Irving's best known works, The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon Gent. With its success, Irving's literary reputation grew, and today he is considered by many to be the "father of American literature."