James Branch Cabell (; April 14, 1879 – May 5, 1958) was an American author of
fantasy fiction and
belles lettres. Cabell was well regarded by his contemporaries, including
H. L. Mencken,
Edmund Wilson, and
Sinclair Lewis. His works were considered escapist and fit well in the culture of the 1920s, when they were most popular. For Cabell, veracity was "the one unpardonable sin, not merely against art, but against human welfare."