Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803 - 1873) was an English novelist, poet, playwright and politician. A lot of his works contributed to the early growth of the science fiction genre. "Eugene Aram" is a melodramatic novel, which depicts the events leading up to the execution of Eugene Aram for murdering his business partner. When the novel appeared in 1832, it drew mixed reactions: critics condemned it vehemently for romanticizing the life of a well-known convicted murderer, while the reading public eagerly snatched up copies of the novel.