About
Willa Cather was born in Virginia and grew up in Nebraska, where she drew inspiration for her stories of pioneer life. After studying at the University of Nebraska, she worked as a journalist and editor at McClure's Magazine before devoting herself to fiction. Her work, marked by lyrical prose, explores themes of immigration, land, and memory. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1923 for One of Ours. Death Comes for the Archbishop is often considered her masterpiece.
* 1873-12-07 — † 1947-04-24
Major works
- O Pioneers! (1913)novel
- The Song of the Lark (1915)novel
- My Ántonia (1918)novel
- One of Ours (1922)novel
- Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927)novel
Key milestones
- 1923Wins the Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours.
- 1944Receives the Gold Medal for Fiction from the National Institute of Arts and Letters.
- 2023A bronze sculpture of Cather is placed in the National Statuary Hall Collection at the U.S. Capitol.
Themes
Pioneer lifeImmigrationMemory and nostalgiaRole of womenArt and creativity
Sources: cather.unl.edu · lva.virginia.gov · brooklynmuseum.org