Willa Cather

Swedish farmer John Bergson's daughter Alexandra encourages the family members to help keep his dream alive after his death.

Born into poverty in a small desert town in the American Midwest, Thea Kronborg is one of seven children. But Thea is exceptional, a fact recognized by a discerning few, including Ray Kennedy, who longs to marry her but whose fate it is to set her free. With her rugged will and pioneer spirit, Thea carves her way from Moonstone, Colorado to Chicago, from Dresden to New York, culminating in a triumphant debut at the Metropolitan Opera. Thea has become...

Construction engineer Bartley Alexander is a troubled, middle-aged man torn between Winifred, his American wife - a cold woman with clearly defined standards - and Hilda Burgoyne - an alluring mistress in London who has helped him recapture his youth and sense of freedom. Alexander's relationship with Hilda gnaws away at his sense of propriety and honor and eventually proves disastrous. (He is with Hilda when a messenger, unable to find him, fails...

The Pulitzer Prize—winning author of O Pioneers! presents a moving study of an ambitious woman and her troubled marriage in this 1926 novella. When young Myra Driscoll is forced to choose between a large inheritance from her great-uncle and marrying the man she loves, she follows her heart. She and Oswald Henshawe leave their small Illinois town to pursue a future together in New York City. Years later, fifteen-year-old Nellie Birdseye meets Myra...

In the eyes of the middle-aged men who visited the house of Captain Daniel Forrester at Sweet Water, Nebraska, whatever Mrs. Forrester chose to do was "lady-like."

This collection of eight short stories about the struggles and triumphs of artists was published in 1920. Four of the stories originally appeared in Cather's first collection, The Troll Garden (1905), including her best known short story, "Paul's Case." Other stories include "Flavia and Her Artists," "The Diamond Mine," "A Gold Slipper," and "Scandal."

This first publication of the letters of one of Americas most consistently admired writers is both an exciting and a significant literary event. Willa Cather, wanting to be judged on her work alone, clearly forbade the publication of her letters in her will. But now, more than sixty-five years after her death, with her literary reputation as secure as a reputation can be, the letters have become available for publication.The 566 letters collected...

This book features a collection of Cather's short stories, including Peter, On the Divide, Eric Hermannson's Soul, The Sentimentality of William Tavener, The Namesake, The Enchanted Bluff, The Joy of Nelly Deane, The Bohemian Girl, Consequences, The Bookkeeper's Wife, Ardessa, and Her Boss. A collection of reviews and essays by Cather are also included. Authors covered by the reviews include Mark Twain, William Dean Howells, Edgar Allan Poe, Walt...

In Willa Cather's The Burglar's Christmas‚ a young drifter finds himself alone on Christmas Eve, penniless and starving. Though he has failed at everything in life, including crime, he decides to break into a home and rob it to raise money for food. When he is caught in the act by the lady of the house, they both come to a terrible realization. The burglar's desperate act leads to a transformative act of holiday love and charity. First published...

The finest family in Sweet Water, the Forresters are known for their gatherings, and Mrs. Forrester, to be an enchanting hostess. Niel Herbert finds himself at the Forester estate playing with friends, and he falls in love with Mrs. Forrester, and what she represents. As he grows up, he finds it increasingly harder to keep his boyhood image of her, and she does nothing to help.