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A portrait of a lady who reflects the conventions of her age even as she defies them and whose transformations embody the decline of the American frontier.
During Cather's studies at the University of Nebraska, she worked as a drama critic to support herself and published her first piece of short fiction, "Peter," in a Boston magazine. After graduation, her love of music and intellectual pursuits inspired her to move to Pittsburgh, where she edited the family magazine Home Monthly, wrote theater criticism for the Pittsburgh Daily Leader, and taught English and Latin in local high schools. Cather's big break came with the publication of her first short story collection, The Troll Garden (1905). The following year she moved to New York City to work for McClure's Magazine as a writer and eventually the magazine's managing editor.
Considered one of the great figures of early-twentieth-century American literature, Willa Cather derived much of her inspiration from the American Midwest, which she considered her home. Never married, she cherished her many friendships, some of which she had maintained since childhood. Her intimate coterie of women writers and artists motivated Cather to produce some of her best work. Sarah Orne Jewett, a successful author from Maine whom Cather had met during her McClure's years, inspired her to devote herself full-time to creating literature and to write about her childhood, which she did in several novels of the prairies. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1923 for her novel about World War I, called One of Ours.
She won many other awards, including a gold medal from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Prix Femina Americaine. On April 24, 1947, two years after publishing her last novel, Willa Cather died in New York City of a cerebral hemorrhage. Among Cather's other accomplishments were honorary doctorate degrees from Columbia, Princeton, and Yale Universities.
Author biography from the Barnes & Noble Classics edition of O, Pioneers!.
Cather was the first woman voted into the Nebraska Hall of Fame, in 1961.
She spent forty years of her life with her companion, Edith Lewis, in New York City.
Anonymous
Posted November 11, 2002
Reading this book as really help me becomes familiar how really life was back in Willie Cather life. I can say that she was a little confused on her life situation. But A Lost Lady was a good novel by the author. I really enjoy reading a book that was interest about a pioneer. I can say that most pioneers were a little bold back in the days. I like the book, because it has a good plot to it which I can relate to. The characters in the book are funny and it seems to be like a movie when reading the book. So, I think you would not be disappointed in reading the book. Just remember that once you read the book, than you can see why I like it.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 16, 2012
There are no words to express how wonderful this novel is. I cling to every word with delight as I ponder Cather's brilliance.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 12, 2012
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Posted January 4, 2013
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Posted April 26, 2009
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