Willa Cather

I FIRST HEARD OF Antonia on what seemed to me an interminable journey across the great midland plain of North America. I was ten years old then; I had lost both my father and mother within a year, and my Virginia relatives were sending me out to my grandparents, who lived in Nebraska. I travelled in the care of a mountain boy, Jake Marpole, one of the hands on my fathers old farm under the Blue Ridge, who was now going West to work for my grandfather. Jakes experience of the world was not much wider than mine. He had never been in a railway train until the morning when we set out together to try our fortunes in a new world.

Aquesta és una història de solidaritat. La solidaritat entre els nouvinguts i els que ja hi eren. La solidaritat que fa aixecar un país que ho ha oblidat i és a punt de fer-nos-ho oblidar a tots. La

Lucy Gayheart es una chica alegre con inclinaciones artísticas. Su padre la envía a Chicago donde se formará musicalmente y allí conoce al joven Clement Sebastián, quien cortejará a Lucy, de tal manera que esta rechazara a Harry, un amigo de infancia que esta enamorado de ella. Cuando Sebastian muere ahogado en un lago, Lucy vuelve a su pueblo, donde se encontrara con el rechazo de Harry. Un dia se desorienta en medio de una borrasca. Perdida y confundida ve que Harry pasa por alli con su coche de caballos, pero el le niega la ayuda alegando prisa y Lucy muere ahogada.

Situada en una pequeña localidad de Nebraska a finales del siglo XIX, Pioneros (1913) relata una historia de inmigración y supervivencia cuya figura central es Alexandra, una valiente joven que, a la muerte de su padre, se hace cargo de la familia y que, con su teson, inteligencia y trabajo, consigue sacar adelante sus tierras desafiando las convenciones sociales sobre el papel de la mujer. Los colonos de Willa Cather, entre los que ella misma vivio, son emigrantes procedentes de todos los rincones de Europa, familias que luchan contra la adversidad en una tierra salvaje y un clima extremado, en su mayoria artesanos que aprenden a cultivar la tierra fracasando una y otra vez. Aqui, como en otras novelas de la autora, son sobre todo las mujeres la fuerza vital e integradora que hace avanzar a toda la comunidad.Gracias a su capacidad para expresar lo colectivo a traves de lo individual, Pioneros constituye una evocacion de un pais en construccion, de una sociedad que, trabajosamente, va echando raices.

Una dama extraviada apareció en 1923 y, dos años después, su autora recibió una carta de Francis Scott Fitzgerald, que acababa de publicar El gran Gatsby y estaba preocupado por ciertas similitudes entre ambas novelas que podian alimentar la sospecha de un caso de plagio. Willa Cather le respondio que no veia motivos para sentirse plagiada, y Scott Fitzgerald respiro aliviado; aunque lo cierto es que Una dama extraviada era la obra que tenia en la cabeza mientras escribia su novela, y la causa directa de ciertos cambios en el proceso de su composicion. Pero ¿que podia tener que ver el mundo del glamour y el dinero que pintaba Scott Fitzgerald con el Oeste heroico, aun en sus ultimos reflejos, de Willa Cather? Quiza esta historia de fascinacion sostenida y sueños traicionados, vista por un joven que se abre a la vida, nos de la respuesta. Marianne Forrester, esposa de un pionero del ferrocarril, anfitriona de la unica casa elegante de la triste poblacion de Sweet Water, siempre alegre en la riqueza y siempre resistente en la penuria, pasa de ser una gran señora a una mujer señalada por todas las habladurias. Un joven que la adora acaba despreciandola, y sobre su relacion construye la autora un esplendido ejercicio sobre los entresijos de toda idealizacion.

PREMIO PULITZER 1923Uno de los nuestros narra la vida de Claude Wheeler, un joven americano del Medio Oeste que vive y trabaja en la granja familiar y al mismo tiempo estudia en una universidad cristiana. No se siente satisfecho con las expectativas de su vida, y la relacion con una familia liberal de inmigrantes alemanes le abrira la mente a nuevos pensamientos e ideas, pero pronto tendra que abandonar sus estudios para dirigir la hacienda. Cuando los Estados Unidos anuncian su entrada en la Primera Guerra Mundial, Claude se alista huyendo de la deriva tradicional a la que se ve abocado. En Francia, en la batalla, encontrara la libertad que anhelaba.A traves de la vida de los Wheeler, Willa Cather retrata a la gente sencilla de Nebraska, donde paso su infancia, trabajadores de la tierra, de vida tranquila, y muestra como la Gran Guerra, en el aparentemente tan lejano Viejo Continente, acabo involucrando a los habitantes de los lugares mas remotos."Willa Cather no es solo una gran escritora, ademas es unica y fantastica [] Ha sido admirada por los mejores escritores. Alice Munro aprendio de ella; Eudora Welty, Katherine Anne Porter y Wallace Stevens la elogiaron sin cesar"A.S. Byatt

Black Creek Valley, Virginia, 1856. Sapphira Colbert es una de las pocas propietarias que mantienen esclavos en sus tierras. Una práctica que su marido, Henry, considera cada vez más difícil de defender. Sapphira, matriarca implacable, confinada a una silla de ruedas, maneja con mano de hierro la propiedad con ayuda de su fiel criada negra, Till, y de la hija de esta, la joven y bella Nancy. Henry es dueño de un molino, pero no solo trabaja en el, sino que duerme alli cada vez que puede ya que su matrimonio constituye una mera formalidad. La vida de Sapphira es monotona. Tiene mucho tiempo para pensar, y cuando descubre que su marido desea que solo sea Nancy quien ordene su habitacion en el molino, empezara a sospechar de ellos y su ira hara que se desate un enorme poder de resentimiento contra la niña esclava.

«Vaig veure per primera vegada la Myra Henshawe quan jo tenia quinze anys, però recordava haver-ne sentit a parlar des que tenia ús de raó. La Myra havia fugit per casar-se, i aquella història era la

Don Hedger, pittore davanguardia che non vuole avere successo nel senso consueto del termine, divide un piccolo appartamento newyorkese con il suo cane Caesar.Un giorno lappartamento accanto viene occupato da Eden Bower, una ragazza che sembra predestinata a diventare una stella, e tutto cio in cui Don crede comincia a vacillare.Ma puo durare una storia tra chi non vuole il successo e chi si e preparata fin da bambina a conquistare il mondo?

Don Hedger had lived for four years on the top floor of an old house on the south side of Washington Square, and nobody had ever disturbed him. He occupied one big room with no outside exposure except on the north, where he had built in a many-paned studio window that looked upon a court and upon the roofs and walls of other buildings. His room was very cheerless, since he never got a ray of direct sunlight; the south corners were always in shadow. In one of the corners was a clothes closet, built against the partition, in another a wide divan, serving as a seat by day and a bed by night. In the front corner, the one farther from the window, was a sink, and a table with two gas burners where he sometimes cooked his food. There, too, in the perpetual dusk, was the dogs bed, and often a bone or two for his comfort.

In "Shadows on the Rock," Willa Cather presents a rich tapestry of life in 17th-century Quebec, entwining themes of resilience, cultural identity, and the interplay between nature and human endeavor. Employing her trademark lyrical prose, Cather immerses readers in the setting, invoking both the harshness and beauty of the Canadian landscape while creating intricate character portraits that reflect the complexities of colonial life. This novel stands in the context of Cathers broader body of work, known for its deep connection to place and her exploration of the pioneering spirit, as seen in her earlier works set in the American West. Willa Cather, acclaimed for her vivid depictions of the American frontier, draws on her own background and experiences to infuse authenticity into her portrayal of French settlers in New France. Cathers interest in the historical narratives of immigrants enriched her writing, contributing to her ability to evoke both subjectivity and universality of experience. "Shadows on the Rock," published in 1931, reflects her fascination with the struggles and aspirations of those who occupied the margins of history, reminding readers of the variegated tapestry of human lives. This compelling narrative invites readers to reflect on themes of belonging and the indelible marks of history, making it a vital addition to both Cathers oeuvre and the wider canon of American literature. Fans of historical fiction and Cathers works will find much to admire in this exquisite exploration of early Canadian life, encouraging readers to ponder the shadows cast by time on our shared human experience.

A 100th anniversary edition of Cathers most-read, most-loved novel_with a new introduction by Jane Smiley. In this symphonically powerful novel, Willa Cather created one of the most winning heroines in American fiction, a woman whose robust high spiri

With Alexander's Bridge, Willa Cather's published works made another jump in length: from poetry to short stories, and now to a short novel. In many ways, this short novel contained less of her characteristic insight-into-people-and-places than was displayed in the previously published collection of short stories: The Troll Garden. It was almost as if this was an exercise at extending the number of pages used, rather than a natural growth of feeling. At the same time, however, it is still the inner-workings and driving-force of life that command her attention, and thus mine. It is the story of Bartley Alexander, a renowned engineer and bridge builder, who happens to be one of those people who seems to be kissed by good fortune. His career is incredibly successful, he marries a rich girl (who he also happens to be in love with), and to top it all off, he gets to travel between Boston and London on a regular basis. What's not to love? His somewhat idyllic life begins to unravel, however, when he becomes reacquainted with a former flam....CONTINÚA

Willa Cather was born near Winchester, Virginia, in 1873. When she was ten years old, her family moved to the prairies of Nebraska, later the setting for a number of her novels. At the age of twenty-one, she graduated from the University of Nebraska, and she spent the next few years doing newspaper work and teaching high school in Pittsburgh. In 1903, her first book, April Twilights, a collection of poems, was published, and two years later The Troll Garden, a collection of stories, appeared in print. After the publication of her first novel, Alexander's Bridge, in 1912, Cather devoted herself full time to writing, and over the years she completed eleven more novels (including O Pioneers!, My Ántonia, The Professor's House, and Death Comes for the Archbishop), four collections of short stories, and two volumes of essays. Cather won the Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours in 1923. She died in 1947.

Alexanders Bridge is the first novel by American author Willa Cather. First published in 1912, it was re-released with an authors preface in 1922. It also ran as a serial in McClures, giving Cather some free time from her work for that magazine.

The Troll Garden is a collection of short stories by Willa Cather, published in 1905.This collection contains the following seven stories:"Flavia and Her Artists""The Sculptors Funeral""A Death in the Desert""The Garden Lodge""The Marriage of Phaedra""A Wagner Matinee""Pauls Case"