John Dos Passos was an American novelist and playwright who wrote during the early 20th century. He is best known for his U.S.A. trilogy, which consists of three novels that chronicle the history of the United States from the 1890s to the 1930s. Passos also wrote several other novels, plays, and short stories, as well as non-fiction works about politics and culture. He was a vocal critic of American society and politics, and his works often explored themes of class struggle and alienation.