Willa Cather (Lives of Notable Gay Men and Lesbians) - Softcover

O'Brien, Sharon

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0791028771 ISBN 13: 9780791028773

Publisher: Chelsea House Pub, 1994

Synopsis

Traces the life of the lesbian author, recounts how she adopted a masculine identity as a child, and discusses her major works

About this title

From Booklist:

Gr. 7-12. By a noted Cather scholar and biographer, author of Willa Cather: The Emerging Voice (1987), this is an engaging and provocative biography for young adults. O'Brien defines lesbianism within the historical context of Cather's early adulthood and cites specific quotes from Cather's correspondence with Louise Pound, a close college friend, in which Cather "confessed to Louise that she thought it unfair that feminine friendships were `unnatural' . . . a code word [in the 1890s] that meant `deviant,' `aberrant,' or `homosexual.'" O'Brien contends that Cather was indeed a lesbian and that her sexuality was a contributing factor in the development of a supportive and nurturing network of women friends and companions, including Sarah Orne Jewett, who played important roles in Cather's social and creative lives. Once O'Brien establishes this point of reference, she tells the life story of a gifted writer who, without benefit of money and family connections, was highly regarded by critics and readers during her lifetime and is still valued as one of America's most important novelists. This biography in the Lives of Notable Gay Men and Lesbian series delves into Cather's inner creative life and the circle of women who surrounded her in a manner that Keene's Willa Cather does not. Included are more than 40 black-and-white photographs, a list of Cather's works, suggestions for further reading, and a chronology. Merri Monks

About this edition

• Publisher: Chelsea House Pub
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0791028771
• ISBN 13: 9780791028773
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 168