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Willa Cather: Stories, Poems, & Other Writings
Willa Cather, one of the great American novelists of the 20th century, also wrote some of America’s best short fiction. From her haunting first story, “Peter,” the tale of a Bohemian immigrant who brought his violin to the raw western frontier, to her posthumously published “The Best Years,” the stories included here span the fifty years of Cather’s writing life. In these tales of pioneers and farmers, artists and youthful lovers, immigrants and their striving children, she creates both a new, never-surpassed portrait of the land and people of the American West and a lively and contemporary picture of life in eastern cities.
Many of her finest stories, among them “Coming, Aphrodite!”—a New York tale of passion and ambition—and the subtly constructed “Old Mrs. Harris,” are unfamiliar to most readers. Her earliest, uncollected stories are steeped in memories of prairie childhood. “On the Divide,” “The Enchanted Bluff,” "Eric Hermannson’s Soul,“ and others contain many of the themes of her later work, evoking the loneliness and hardship as well as the beauty and challenge of pioneer life ”on the bright edges of the world."
In the stories of Youth and the Bright Medusa (1920), which includes “The Sculptor’s Funeral,” “The Diamond Mine,” and the well-known "Paul’s Case,“ artists and other sensitive spirits struggle to preserve their integrity in a society ruled by convention and routine. Obscure Destinies (1932) presents three moving tales set in the western landscapes Cather loved. Her characters are endowed with some of the meditative solidity found in the portraits of Rembrandt, like the old farmer in ”Neighbour Rosicky" who has only one tap root that goes down deep. The Old Beauty and Others (1948), published shortly after Cather's death, includes “The Best Years,” a Nebraska story that has a mournful charm unlike anything else she wrote.
Cather’s distinctive, lyrical prose can be found not only in her fiction but also in her occasional pieces—an appreciation of Sarah Orne Jewett, luminous reminiscences of Mrs. James Fields and her house in Boston, an account of meeting Flaubert’s niece in Aix-les-Bains. Her critical essays, such as "The Novel Démeublé" and “On the Art of Fiction,” which appear in Not Under Forty (1936), and her reviews of authors from Mark Twain to Frank Norris, as well as her appraisals of her own work, cast a discerning light on the creative role of the artist.
This volume also contains Cather’s first novella, Alexander’s Bridge (1912), My Mortal Enemy (1926), a powerful novella in which a strong-willed woman brings about her own ruin, and Cather’s only book of poetry, April Twilights and Other Poems (1933).
Many of her finest stories, among them “Coming, Aphrodite!”—a New York tale of passion and ambition—and the subtly constructed “Old Mrs. Harris,” are unfamiliar to most readers. Her earliest, uncollected stories are steeped in memories of prairie childhood. “On the Divide,” “The Enchanted Bluff,” "Eric Hermannson’s Soul,“ and others contain many of the themes of her later work, evoking the loneliness and hardship as well as the beauty and challenge of pioneer life ”on the bright edges of the world."
In the stories of Youth and the Bright Medusa (1920), which includes “The Sculptor’s Funeral,” “The Diamond Mine,” and the well-known "Paul’s Case,“ artists and other sensitive spirits struggle to preserve their integrity in a society ruled by convention and routine. Obscure Destinies (1932) presents three moving tales set in the western landscapes Cather loved. Her characters are endowed with some of the meditative solidity found in the portraits of Rembrandt, like the old farmer in ”Neighbour Rosicky" who has only one tap root that goes down deep. The Old Beauty and Others (1948), published shortly after Cather's death, includes “The Best Years,” a Nebraska story that has a mournful charm unlike anything else she wrote.
Cather’s distinctive, lyrical prose can be found not only in her fiction but also in her occasional pieces—an appreciation of Sarah Orne Jewett, luminous reminiscences of Mrs. James Fields and her house in Boston, an account of meeting Flaubert’s niece in Aix-les-Bains. Her critical essays, such as "The Novel Démeublé" and “On the Art of Fiction,” which appear in Not Under Forty (1936), and her reviews of authors from Mark Twain to Frank Norris, as well as her appraisals of her own work, cast a discerning light on the creative role of the artist.
This volume also contains Cather’s first novella, Alexander’s Bridge (1912), My Mortal Enemy (1926), a powerful novella in which a strong-willed woman brings about her own ruin, and Cather’s only book of poetry, April Twilights and Other Poems (1933).
1039 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1992
3 people are currently reading
159 people want to read
About the author
Willa Cather
892 books2,783 followersWilella Sibert Cather was born in Back Creek Valley (Gore), Virginia, in December 7, 1873.
She grew up in Virginia and Nebraska. She then attended the University of Nebraska, initially planning to become a physician, but after writing an article for the Nebraska State Journal, she became a regular contributor to this journal. Because of this, she changed her major and graduated with a bachelor's degree in English.
After graduation in 1894, she worked in Pittsburgh as writer for various publications and as a school teacher for approximately 13 years, thereafter moving to New York City for the remainder of her life.
Her novels on frontier life brought her to national recognition. In 1923 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her novel, 'One of Ours' (1922), set during World War I. She travelled widely and often spent summers in New Brunswick, Canada. In later life, she experienced much negative criticism for her conservative politics and became reclusive, burning some of her letters and personal papers, including her last manuscript.
She was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1943. In 1944, Cather received the gold medal for fiction from the National Institute of Arts and Letters, an award given once a decade for an author's total accomplishments.
She died of a cerebral haemorrhage at the age of 73 in New York City.
She grew up in Virginia and Nebraska. She then attended the University of Nebraska, initially planning to become a physician, but after writing an article for the Nebraska State Journal, she became a regular contributor to this journal. Because of this, she changed her major and graduated with a bachelor's degree in English.
After graduation in 1894, she worked in Pittsburgh as writer for various publications and as a school teacher for approximately 13 years, thereafter moving to New York City for the remainder of her life.
Her novels on frontier life brought her to national recognition. In 1923 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her novel, 'One of Ours' (1922), set during World War I. She travelled widely and often spent summers in New Brunswick, Canada. In later life, she experienced much negative criticism for her conservative politics and became reclusive, burning some of her letters and personal papers, including her last manuscript.
She was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1943. In 1944, Cather received the gold medal for fiction from the National Institute of Arts and Letters, an award given once a decade for an author's total accomplishments.
She died of a cerebral haemorrhage at the age of 73 in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 25, 2020
4.5 stars for this delightful anthology. The collection of short stories, novellas, remembrances, and essays was interesting on several levels. Willa Cather’s writing spans different ‘styles’. I had noticed this with the novels that I had already read: My Antonia, The Professor’s House, and Death Comes For The Archbishop. Each book read differently in terms of language usage and the impressions conveyed. This collection offered that variety again, including a few which reminded me O’Henry!
The remembrances were touching and dealt with meeting several figures with literary ties and their mutual enjoyment of the time they spent together. There was a nostalgia that draped over this section, that those encounters, values, depth of literary sophistication would not be found in a more modern world. The three novels I mentioned above show Cather’s connection to the land and people, as well as her understanding of peoples yearnings, hopes, and despair. But they had not prepared me for the fact that Cather had spent her adolescence and college years doing extensive studying and reading in Greek, Latin, French, and German . . . in Nebraska and during the 1880’s. Her reminiscence about meeting Flaubert’s niece was marvelous.
The essays selected were mostly about other authors and their work, and they were severe, sometimes harsh. There was snobbishness and inflexibility (dare I say close-mindedness?) on display. She was wearing a critic’s hat, and that hat had turned into a helmet. Her reasoning was opaque to me and I frankly didn’t enjoy these critiques.
The biggest pleasure in this book lay in the novellas and short stories. She didn't need a novel-length telling to paint pictures of people, both ordinary and not. I just sank into each story, and came up for air at the end of each one. I can’t think of anything more to say than that ... they’re just perfect.
(In the interest of full disclosure, there is also a section of poems too, which I skipped over. I’m not gifted with much ability to read poetry with discernment, and even with Mary Oliver and W.S. Merwin I can only read them in short sessions.)
Lastly, I want to mention that this edition is put out by The Library of America, published by Literary Classics of the United States. It is archival quality book, printed on lightweight, acid-free paper that doesn’t yellow or become brittle with age. The sewn binding opens and lies flat, there’s a ribbon bookmark, and the font is very readable. Despite being more than 1000 pages, it is very easy to carry and hold. The tactile feel of the book added immensely to the pleasure of reading it. Kudos! But even if you can’t find this edition, do find some of Willa Cather’s shorter stories, get a cup of tea, and settle back for a leisurely read.
The remembrances were touching and dealt with meeting several figures with literary ties and their mutual enjoyment of the time they spent together. There was a nostalgia that draped over this section, that those encounters, values, depth of literary sophistication would not be found in a more modern world. The three novels I mentioned above show Cather’s connection to the land and people, as well as her understanding of peoples yearnings, hopes, and despair. But they had not prepared me for the fact that Cather had spent her adolescence and college years doing extensive studying and reading in Greek, Latin, French, and German . . . in Nebraska and during the 1880’s. Her reminiscence about meeting Flaubert’s niece was marvelous.
The essays selected were mostly about other authors and their work, and they were severe, sometimes harsh. There was snobbishness and inflexibility (dare I say close-mindedness?) on display. She was wearing a critic’s hat, and that hat had turned into a helmet. Her reasoning was opaque to me and I frankly didn’t enjoy these critiques.
The biggest pleasure in this book lay in the novellas and short stories. She didn't need a novel-length telling to paint pictures of people, both ordinary and not. I just sank into each story, and came up for air at the end of each one. I can’t think of anything more to say than that ... they’re just perfect.
(In the interest of full disclosure, there is also a section of poems too, which I skipped over. I’m not gifted with much ability to read poetry with discernment, and even with Mary Oliver and W.S. Merwin I can only read them in short sessions.)
Lastly, I want to mention that this edition is put out by The Library of America, published by Literary Classics of the United States. It is archival quality book, printed on lightweight, acid-free paper that doesn’t yellow or become brittle with age. The sewn binding opens and lies flat, there’s a ribbon bookmark, and the font is very readable. Despite being more than 1000 pages, it is very easy to carry and hold. The tactile feel of the book added immensely to the pleasure of reading it. Kudos! But even if you can’t find this edition, do find some of Willa Cather’s shorter stories, get a cup of tea, and settle back for a leisurely read.
October 13, 2019
4.5 stars. I only got about two-thirds through this collection before I had to return it to the library, but having never read anything by this author before the stories I did get to complete were a good insight into her writing style.
January 20, 2024
he stopped by the windmill to look up at the frosty winter stars and draw a long breath before he went inside. that kitchen with the shining windows was dear to him; but the sleeping fields and bright stars and the noble darkness were dearer still.
April 15, 2008
My father gave me this book when I told him I was studying Cather in an American lit. class. It is a wonderful collection of her short stories, poems, and essays. My favorite story is "Neighbour Rosicky."
"So much stone and asphalt with nothing going on, so many empty windows. The emptiness was intense... It struck young Rosicky that this was the trouble with big cities; they built you in from the earth itself, cemented you away from any contact with the ground. You lived in an unnatural world..."
"So much stone and asphalt with nothing going on, so many empty windows. The emptiness was intense... It struck young Rosicky that this was the trouble with big cities; they built you in from the earth itself, cemented you away from any contact with the ground. You lived in an unnatural world..."
April 22, 2007
great collection of stories. love this author.
August 9, 2008
Just a few of these stories attain the intensity of her novels. But the best thing here is the essay, "A Chance Meeting." Compare it to "The Old Beauty," the story derived from the same anecdote.
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February 17, 2013Alexander's Bridge is a short novel contained in this volume. Cather's first.
May 2, 2013
I enjoy Willa Cather's work. I haven't yet finished this book, but tis one of those I enjoy picking up from time to time to read a short story or chapter. A classic, to me.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews