A poem for every day

Willa Sibert Cather – an American writer, who became famous due to her novels about the life of American frontier.

Born: December 7, 1873
Winchester, Virginia
Author, Poet

When was Willa Cather born?

Willa was born in Winchester on December 7, 1873. When a girl reached 9, her family moved to Nebraska state to the ranch in the suburb of Red-Cloud. There the family got a household, which was not a success. That is why family had to move to the city.

Willa began getting her education at home. Afterwards she studied in two schools – in Red-Cloud and in Lincoln. She got her education in the university in Nebraska. After finishing the university, Cather returned to Pittsburg and worked as an editor in a magazine, where she wrote critical articles about dramaturgy, and then as a teacher in a high school.

Career

In school she taught Latin and Greek. In Pittsburg she worked for 10 years, afterwards she went to live in New York, where she got a work of an editor of a local newspaper.

Willa started her career in 1905, when published her first book «The Troll Garden». This book was composed of stories, which included one of the most famous ones – «Paul’s Case». But it was not her first book. Her first book «April Twilights», written in 1903, was not a success and was left unnoticed. «The Troll Garden» made a wonderful impression not only on readers, but on the publisher of a popular magazine. He offered Willa the position of an editor, where she worked for 6 years. Due to her work, the circulation of the magazine increased a lot. But Cather didn’t like such work, she wanted to be involved into literature. That is why Willa left work for some time and went into literature. The most famous novels of the writer were «O Pioneers!», «My Antonia», «The Song of the Lark». The wide popularity and recognition of the public the book «OPioneers!» brought to Willa, where the writer describes the way of life of a woman, who forwent her feelings for the love to the Earth. Willa got the Pulitzer prize for her novel «One of Ours» in 1923. This novel describes the times of the WW I. In 1938 Willa Cather was chosen to the American Academy of arts and literature.

Popular poems by Willa Cather

1. Paradox
2. Arcadian Winter
3. Spanish Johnny
4. Street In Packingtown
5. London Roses
6. The Hawthorn Tree
7. The Tavern
8. The Palatine
9. Poppies On Ludlow Castle
10. “Grandmither, Think Not I Forget”

Death of Sylvia Plath

The writer died on April 24, 1947 at the age of 73 in Manhattan, New York.

As to the character, Willa was a tomboy in childhood, she enjoyed being on the saddle, because she felt herself comfortable there. She grew up together with the children of immigrants. Among them there were the Swedish, Russian, chesh and german.

Willa Cather death: April 24, 1947; New York

Video