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A Daughter of the Middle Border
This sequel to Garland’s acclaimed autobiography, A Son of the Middle Border, continues his story as he sets out for Chicago and settles into a Bohemian encampment of artists and writers. There he meets Zulime Taft, an artist who captures his heart and eventually becomes his wife. The intensity of this romance is rivaled only by Garland’s struggle between America’s coastal elite and his heartland roots. A Daughter of the Middle Border won the Pulitzer Prize in 1922, forever securing his place in the literary canon.
Excerpt:
In the summer of 1893, after nine years of hard but happy literary life in Boston and New York, I decided to surrender my residence in the East and reestablish my home in the West, a decision which seemed to be - as it was - a most important event in my career.
This change of headquarters was due not to a diminishing love for New England, but to a deepening desire to be near my aging parents, whom I had persuaded, after much argument, to join in the purchase of a family homestead, in West Salem, Wisconsin, the little village from which we had all adventured some thirty years before.
My father, a typical pioneer, who had grown gray in opening new farms, one after another on the wind-swept prairies of Iowa and Dakota, was not entirely content with my plan but my mother, enfeebled by the hardships of a farmer's life, and grateful for my care, was glad of the arrangement I had brought about. In truth, she realized that her days of pioneering were over and the thought of ending her days among her friends and relatives was a comfort to her. That I had rescued her from a premature grave on the barren Dakota plain was certain, and the hope of being able to provide for her comfort was the strongest element in my plan.
Excerpt:
In the summer of 1893, after nine years of hard but happy literary life in Boston and New York, I decided to surrender my residence in the East and reestablish my home in the West, a decision which seemed to be - as it was - a most important event in my career.
This change of headquarters was due not to a diminishing love for New England, but to a deepening desire to be near my aging parents, whom I had persuaded, after much argument, to join in the purchase of a family homestead, in West Salem, Wisconsin, the little village from which we had all adventured some thirty years before.
My father, a typical pioneer, who had grown gray in opening new farms, one after another on the wind-swept prairies of Iowa and Dakota, was not entirely content with my plan but my mother, enfeebled by the hardships of a farmer's life, and grateful for my care, was glad of the arrangement I had brought about. In truth, she realized that her days of pioneering were over and the thought of ending her days among her friends and relatives was a comfort to her. That I had rescued her from a premature grave on the barren Dakota plain was certain, and the hope of being able to provide for her comfort was the strongest element in my plan.
141 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1921
21 people are currently reading
233 people want to read
About the author
Hamlin Garland
210 books25 followersStories and novels of American writer Hannibal Hamlin Garland include the autobiographical
A Son of the Middle Border
and depict the hardships that Midwestern farmers endured.
People best know this American novelist, poet, essayist, and short story writer for his fiction, involving hard-working Midwestern farmers.
Hannibal Hamlin Garland was born on a farm near West Salem, Wisconsin, on September 14, 1860, the second of four children of Richard Garlin of Maine and Charlotte Isabelle McClintock. The boy was named after Hannibal Hamlin, then candidate for vice-president under Abraham Lincoln. He lived on various Midwestern farms throughout his young life, but settled in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1884 to pursue a career in writing. He read diligently in the public library there. His first success came in 1891 with Main-Traveled Roads, a collection of short stories inspired by his days on the farm. He serialized a biography of Ulysses S. Grant in McClure's Magazine before publishing it as a book in 1898. The same year, Garland traveled to the Yukon to witness the Klondike Gold Rush, which inspired The Trail of the Gold Seekers (1899). He lived on a farm between Osage, and St. Ansgar, Iowa for quite some time. Many of his writings are based on this era of his life.
A prolific writer, Garland continued to publish novels, short fiction, and essays. In 1917, he published his autobiography, A Son of the Middle Border. The book's success prompted a sequel, A Daughter of the Middle Border, for which Garland won the 1922 Pulitzer Prize for Biography. After two more volumes, Garland began a second series of memoirs based on his diary. Garland naturally became quite well known during his lifetime and had many friends in literary circles. He was made a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1918.
After moving to Hollywood, California, in 1929, he devoted his remaining years to investigating psychic phenomena, an enthusiasm he first undertook in 1891. In his final book, The Mystery of the Buried Crosses (1939), he tried to defend such phenomena and prove the legitimacy of psychic mediums.
A friend, Lee Shippey, columnist for the Los Angeles Times, recalled Garland's regular system of writing:
. . . he got up at half past five, brewed a pot of coffee and made toast on an electric gadget in his study and was at work by six. At nine o'clock he was through with work for the day. Then he breakfasted, read the morning paper and attended to his personal mail. . . . After luncheon he and Mrs. Garland would take a long drive . . . . Sometimes they would drop in on Will Rogers, Will Durant, Robert Benchley or even on me, for their range of friends was very wide. . . . After dinner they would go to a show if an exceptionally good one were in town, otherwise one of their daughters would read aloud.
Garland died at age 79, at his home in Hollywood on March 4, 1940. A memorial service was held three days later near his home in Glendale, California. His ashes were buried in Neshonoc Cemetery in West Salem, Wisconsin on March 14; his poem "The Cry of the Age" was read by Reverend John B. Fritz.
The Hamlin Garland House in West Salem is a historical site.
People best know this American novelist, poet, essayist, and short story writer for his fiction, involving hard-working Midwestern farmers.
Hannibal Hamlin Garland was born on a farm near West Salem, Wisconsin, on September 14, 1860, the second of four children of Richard Garlin of Maine and Charlotte Isabelle McClintock. The boy was named after Hannibal Hamlin, then candidate for vice-president under Abraham Lincoln. He lived on various Midwestern farms throughout his young life, but settled in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1884 to pursue a career in writing. He read diligently in the public library there. His first success came in 1891 with Main-Traveled Roads, a collection of short stories inspired by his days on the farm. He serialized a biography of Ulysses S. Grant in McClure's Magazine before publishing it as a book in 1898. The same year, Garland traveled to the Yukon to witness the Klondike Gold Rush, which inspired The Trail of the Gold Seekers (1899). He lived on a farm between Osage, and St. Ansgar, Iowa for quite some time. Many of his writings are based on this era of his life.
A prolific writer, Garland continued to publish novels, short fiction, and essays. In 1917, he published his autobiography, A Son of the Middle Border. The book's success prompted a sequel, A Daughter of the Middle Border, for which Garland won the 1922 Pulitzer Prize for Biography. After two more volumes, Garland began a second series of memoirs based on his diary. Garland naturally became quite well known during his lifetime and had many friends in literary circles. He was made a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1918.
After moving to Hollywood, California, in 1929, he devoted his remaining years to investigating psychic phenomena, an enthusiasm he first undertook in 1891. In his final book, The Mystery of the Buried Crosses (1939), he tried to defend such phenomena and prove the legitimacy of psychic mediums.
A friend, Lee Shippey, columnist for the Los Angeles Times, recalled Garland's regular system of writing:
. . . he got up at half past five, brewed a pot of coffee and made toast on an electric gadget in his study and was at work by six. At nine o'clock he was through with work for the day. Then he breakfasted, read the morning paper and attended to his personal mail. . . . After luncheon he and Mrs. Garland would take a long drive . . . . Sometimes they would drop in on Will Rogers, Will Durant, Robert Benchley or even on me, for their range of friends was very wide. . . . After dinner they would go to a show if an exceptionally good one were in town, otherwise one of their daughters would read aloud.
Garland died at age 79, at his home in Hollywood on March 4, 1940. A memorial service was held three days later near his home in Glendale, California. His ashes were buried in Neshonoc Cemetery in West Salem, Wisconsin on March 14; his poem "The Cry of the Age" was read by Reverend John B. Fritz.
The Hamlin Garland House in West Salem is a historical site.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 13, 2012
I grew up in Onalaska (mentioned twice in this book including the imposing Nathan Hill which lies between the two communities ... The club built and erected a large wooden arch to serve as a marker near the site where Nathan Smith's home was located. This site is on Mrs. Emil Drudick's property on U.S. Highway 16. Lettering on the marker says: "NATHAN HILL-Nathan and Sarah Smith, black slaves, fled to this location-1864." not too surprisingly I grew up knowing it as Nigger Nathan Hill - my mom never allowed the use of that epithet in our home but it was common usage in town and frankly I'm not sure much has changed) - now at 65 years olde I have finally read an HG work (vaguely remember having read one of his short stories 40/50 years ago) - tomorrow I mean to visit the Garland Homestead (I lived in West Salem for nigh onto 3 years) - odd how one can overlook one's own backyard. the writing is dated being overblown, prolix (like this review) - way too many overwrought modifiers (never use one modifier where two will do and for heaven's sake modify the modifier) also way too many exclamation points! .. however being myself a tearful sentimentalist by the end of the book I was won over - his darling daughters made all the difference - wish Hamlin's skills had been better at describing his wife. Zulime's I'm sure would have been a compelling story - he rendered her somewhat wooden. I can find much to bellyache about - his outlook could be so glum - an ability to find the darkest lining in the most silver of clouds - I tend to be that way myself which makes HIS tendency even more aggravating - loved the telling of Mary Isabel's Chimney - the man had energy and a boundless will - the constant namedropping was a tad tiring though at the same time quite amazing - the many references to the Civil War were what brought me to read this book and I intend on reading more HG - he could turn an excellent phrase, sentence or paragraph but would inevitably go too far - very 19th century - to be continued ...
June 25, 2012
I've lived in the Chicago area most of my life and worked in the Loop for over 20 years. In that time, I ran across Hamlin Garland's name twice. The first time was when attending a wedding reception that was held in the room where the Cliff-dwellers met, a literary group formed by Garland. The second time was when I noticed a building on Wabash Street in the Loop called The Garland Building.
My curiosity was aroused and I read his marvelous "A Son of the Middle Border" some years ago, before joining Goodreads.
Then, browsing in a bookstore (remember those?) I came across this book and expected it to be an account of his wife. Actually, it picks up where the earlier book left off. Though his wife, Zulime, is definitely a part of this book, it reveals very little of her character and presents her in an almost stereotypical way as the dedicated spouse who endlessly and selflessly follows in the path of her husband. Garland makes it a point to let us know he sees her as his equal and doesn't expect an obedient helpmate, yet he never gets beyond the surface of her behavior, probably because she was still alive (and much younger than he) when he wrote this book. He may have felt it would be presumptuous on his part to hold up a magnifying glass to her.
For this reason, the title is puzzling and misleading.
Be that as it may, this book is a jewel. Garland is a most sensitive and tenderhearted writer. He doesn't hide has feelings about either himself or others and he frequently pauses to look at life - its challenges, expectations for it, regrets about it, that pulse with an authenticity to which any reader should be able to relate. His relationships with his parents and his eldest daughter are closely examined and he freely admits that his heart was not captured by his younger daughter as it was with his first-born, something perfectly understandable and human. Emotions are never far below the surface and the book is appropriately sprinkled with his poetry.
Garland shares his moods, his doubts and the sense of melancholy that stands just behind consciousness ready to assert itself after even the most exciting and exhilarating experiences. He is preoccupied with what it means to be successful in life and is particularly abashed at falling short of the material success that several of his friends and acquaintances achieve. He realizes the trade-offs that disregarding others to make success the top priority would bring. His unquestioned achievement is the admiration and respect he has in the eyes of his entire family (I will give him the benefit of the doubt re his wife!). He freely admits he has much more than most. His honesty with himself is refreshing, there is no pretense and dry self-deprecating humor often comes to his aid.
Anyone interested in writing would find this book interesting since Garland's motivations for his writings are given. He tells us of the ups and downs, the conditions that he finds conducive to work and what blocks him from writing. His relationship to nature and his friends is wide open and receptive as one would expect of a good writer. His empathy is evident in his feelings for the Indian, the mountain-men, the pioneer and the soldier which he is careful to sympathetically portray in his books. He wants to be their chronicler; putting down a history that they would if they could.
His adventures in search of experience and the people he meets provide one interesting chapter after another. Early on I was reminded of Teddy Roosevelt in Garland's love of the rugged outdoors. No sooner did I note this, than Roosevelt comes into the story as a new-found friend offering a relationship that continues into the White House. Though not like Forrest Gump, who was always on the scene of historic events, Garland had an uncanny way of being introduced to or running into important people.
He is wonderfully thoughtful about everything he does. His stated goal in life is only to make the world a little better place and to secure the future for his family. In that he succeeds, the book is his testament to it and so much more satisfying to this reader than the empty, flattering accounts of fame and fortune that are so common with autobiography. Garland presents a vivid, sincere account of a life well lived.
If you haven't read "A Son of the Middle Border", read that first. This book is very enjoyable, but "Son" is Garland's masterpiece, a part of the soul of America.
My curiosity was aroused and I read his marvelous "A Son of the Middle Border" some years ago, before joining Goodreads.
Then, browsing in a bookstore (remember those?) I came across this book and expected it to be an account of his wife. Actually, it picks up where the earlier book left off. Though his wife, Zulime, is definitely a part of this book, it reveals very little of her character and presents her in an almost stereotypical way as the dedicated spouse who endlessly and selflessly follows in the path of her husband. Garland makes it a point to let us know he sees her as his equal and doesn't expect an obedient helpmate, yet he never gets beyond the surface of her behavior, probably because she was still alive (and much younger than he) when he wrote this book. He may have felt it would be presumptuous on his part to hold up a magnifying glass to her.
For this reason, the title is puzzling and misleading.
Be that as it may, this book is a jewel. Garland is a most sensitive and tenderhearted writer. He doesn't hide has feelings about either himself or others and he frequently pauses to look at life - its challenges, expectations for it, regrets about it, that pulse with an authenticity to which any reader should be able to relate. His relationships with his parents and his eldest daughter are closely examined and he freely admits that his heart was not captured by his younger daughter as it was with his first-born, something perfectly understandable and human. Emotions are never far below the surface and the book is appropriately sprinkled with his poetry.
Garland shares his moods, his doubts and the sense of melancholy that stands just behind consciousness ready to assert itself after even the most exciting and exhilarating experiences. He is preoccupied with what it means to be successful in life and is particularly abashed at falling short of the material success that several of his friends and acquaintances achieve. He realizes the trade-offs that disregarding others to make success the top priority would bring. His unquestioned achievement is the admiration and respect he has in the eyes of his entire family (I will give him the benefit of the doubt re his wife!). He freely admits he has much more than most. His honesty with himself is refreshing, there is no pretense and dry self-deprecating humor often comes to his aid.
Anyone interested in writing would find this book interesting since Garland's motivations for his writings are given. He tells us of the ups and downs, the conditions that he finds conducive to work and what blocks him from writing. His relationship to nature and his friends is wide open and receptive as one would expect of a good writer. His empathy is evident in his feelings for the Indian, the mountain-men, the pioneer and the soldier which he is careful to sympathetically portray in his books. He wants to be their chronicler; putting down a history that they would if they could.
His adventures in search of experience and the people he meets provide one interesting chapter after another. Early on I was reminded of Teddy Roosevelt in Garland's love of the rugged outdoors. No sooner did I note this, than Roosevelt comes into the story as a new-found friend offering a relationship that continues into the White House. Though not like Forrest Gump, who was always on the scene of historic events, Garland had an uncanny way of being introduced to or running into important people.
He is wonderfully thoughtful about everything he does. His stated goal in life is only to make the world a little better place and to secure the future for his family. In that he succeeds, the book is his testament to it and so much more satisfying to this reader than the empty, flattering accounts of fame and fortune that are so common with autobiography. Garland presents a vivid, sincere account of a life well lived.
If you haven't read "A Son of the Middle Border", read that first. This book is very enjoyable, but "Son" is Garland's masterpiece, a part of the soul of America.
October 1, 2018
Son of the Middle Border is one of my favorite reads of the year, so I was eagerly anticipating this Pulitzer winner. Unfortunately, it did not live up to its predecessor for me. I would have given this book just two stars, but the last 50 pages or so describing Garland's fatherhood and last days with his own father were the best part of the book and brought up its rating.
July 28, 2024
Pulitzer Prizes of Unknown Authors
One of the challenges of reading the works of the Pulitzer Prize winners of the early 20th Century is the likelihood of the obscurity of some of the awardees. such was the case of #daughterofthemiddleborder the second of a two volume autobiography by novelist #hamlingarland who won the #1922pulitzerforbiography . While I hadn't read any of his books, I was intrigued by his extremely progressive viewpoints and his desire to tell the stories of the people who had settled the States of the Midwest which counted his own family among them, striking out from the East to establish farms in Wisconsin and Iowa.
His first volume covered his childhood in the 1860s post-Civil War America through his education in Boston to the publishing of his first novel. The second volume, for which he won the Pulitzer, documents his writing career, his adventures into the West and into the Klondike. Marriage, children and the passing of the pioneers flesh out this interesting book.
#readtheworldchallenge #pulitzerreadingchallenge #globalreadingchallenge
One of the challenges of reading the works of the Pulitzer Prize winners of the early 20th Century is the likelihood of the obscurity of some of the awardees. such was the case of #daughterofthemiddleborder the second of a two volume autobiography by novelist #hamlingarland who won the #1922pulitzerforbiography . While I hadn't read any of his books, I was intrigued by his extremely progressive viewpoints and his desire to tell the stories of the people who had settled the States of the Midwest which counted his own family among them, striking out from the East to establish farms in Wisconsin and Iowa.
His first volume covered his childhood in the 1860s post-Civil War America through his education in Boston to the publishing of his first novel. The second volume, for which he won the Pulitzer, documents his writing career, his adventures into the West and into the Klondike. Marriage, children and the passing of the pioneers flesh out this interesting book.
#readtheworldchallenge #pulitzerreadingchallenge #globalreadingchallenge
August 28, 2023
I have enjoyed both of the Middle Border books and am sad to come to the end of them. I shall check out Main Travelled Roads and possibly I can find another Middle Border book. These are books of a time of 100 years ago when Indians were spoken of as "red men" even if Garland was one who wrote with admiration of them. He speaks glowingly of his mother and his wife--and yet their stories are not his. The birth of a child just happens with no story of the labor. The marriage happens with no description of the courtship--or even a kiss. Death is described in greater detail actually--his aunt, his mother and his father at the very end.
The Garlands leave the Middle Border and move to New York City although they somewhat replicate their Wisconsin home by having a cabin in the Catskills.
What a joy to be able to enjoy books written so long ago and to enter into the lives of a family of a different era.
The Garlands leave the Middle Border and move to New York City although they somewhat replicate their Wisconsin home by having a cabin in the Catskills.
What a joy to be able to enjoy books written so long ago and to enter into the lives of a family of a different era.
May 31, 2021
This is the 2nd time I've read this book, which testifies to its quality, as I seldom read a book twice.
November 14, 2016
I was charged with reading a Pullitzer prize winning book this month through Lazy Days Library Reviews.
Stupidly I decided not to re-read my favourites or even one from this century. I say stupidly only because I see LDLR's challenge as a way to expand my reading.
This book is both historical and autobiographical. It won the Pulitzer prize in 1922. It is a continuation of the author's story in Son of the Middle Border.
He moves his parents from the bleak plains of Dakota to a place closer to Chicago. Only eight hours by train! He is pleased that he can be in Chicago for the opera and back in time for breakfast with his parents.
The book is a list of people he meets/knows and their bohemian lifestyles around Chicago's blossoming art world. I did google a number of them and found that they became quite famous in their respective fields. I have even heard of some of them.
This is a book I will tick off as having read. I don't expect to open it again.
Stupidly I decided not to re-read my favourites or even one from this century. I say stupidly only because I see LDLR's challenge as a way to expand my reading.
This book is both historical and autobiographical. It won the Pulitzer prize in 1922. It is a continuation of the author's story in Son of the Middle Border.
He moves his parents from the bleak plains of Dakota to a place closer to Chicago. Only eight hours by train! He is pleased that he can be in Chicago for the opera and back in time for breakfast with his parents.
The book is a list of people he meets/knows and their bohemian lifestyles around Chicago's blossoming art world. I did google a number of them and found that they became quite famous in their respective fields. I have even heard of some of them.
This is a book I will tick off as having read. I don't expect to open it again.
August 22, 2016
This book continues the autobiography started in A Son of the Middle Border. The writing is superb; the content isn't as interesting as the first book. It details the author's marriage and family, his rising writing career, and the death of both his parents. The daughter of the middle border is his wife. What the middle border is I am still not sure.
Want to read
July 29, 20111922
March 13, 2014
A Great story of a Time Gone by in America.
February 14, 2016
I love Hamlin Garland. I love reading about his life, the people he knew, his adventures and his love of his family. His descriptions and feelings of aging really strikes a chord with me.
Want to read
August 1, 2008Another sequel. Damn.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews