Edith Wharton

Author profile

born

in New York, New York, The United States

January 24, 1862

died

August 11, 1937

gender

female

genre

Literature & Fiction

influences

Henry James, Jane Austen

About this author

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Edith Newbold Jones was born into such wealth and privilege that her family inspired the phrase "keeping up with the Joneses." The youngest of three children, Edith spent her early years touring Europe with her parents and, upon the family's return to the United States, enjoyed a privileged childhood in New York and Newport, Rhode Island. Edith's creativity and talent soon became obvious: By the age of eighteen she had written a novella, (as well as witty reviews of it) and published poetry in the Atlantic Monthly.

After a failed engagement, Edith married a wealthy sportsman, Edward Wharton. Despite similar backgrounds and a shared taste for travel, the marriage was not a success. Many of Wharton's novels chronicle unhappy marriages, in whic...more Edith Newbold Jones was born into such wealth and privilege that her family inspired the phrase "keeping up with the Joneses." The youngest of three children, Edith spent her early years touring Europe with her parents and, upon the family's return to the United States, enjoyed a privileged childhood in New York and Newport, Rhode Island. Edith's creativity and talent soon became obvious: By the age of eighteen she had written a novella, (as well as witty reviews of it) and published poetry in the Atlantic Monthly.

After a failed engagement, Edith married a wealthy sportsman, Edward Wharton. Despite similar backgrounds and a shared taste for travel, the marriage was not a success. Many of Wharton's novels chronicle unhappy marriages, in which the demands of love and vocation often conflict with the expectations of society. Wharton's first major novel, The House of Mirth, published in 1905, enjoyed considerable literary success. Ethan Frome appeared six years later, solidifying Wharton's reputation as an important novelist. Often in the company of her close friend, Henry James, Wharton mingled with some of the most famous writers and artists of the day, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, André Gide, Sinclair Lewis, Jean Cocteau, and Jack London.

In 1913 Edith divorced Edward. She lived mostly in France for the remainder of her life. When World War I broke out, she organized hostels for refugees, worked as a fund-raiser, and wrote for American publications from battlefield frontlines. She was awarded the French Legion of Honor for her courage and distinguished work.

The Age of Innocence, a novel about New York in the 1870s, earned Wharton the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1921 -- the first time the award had been bestowed upon a woman. Wharton traveled throughout Europe to encourage young authors. She also continued to write, lying in her bed every morning, as she had always done, dropping each newly penned page on the floor to be collected and arranged when she was finished. Wharton suffered a stroke and died on August 11, 1937. She is buried in the American Cemetery in Versailles, France.
- Barnesandnoble.com(less)

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Edith Wharton's Books

Average rating: 3.71 · 163,550 ratings · 9,760 reviews · 357 distinct works · Similar authors

	The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, Maureen Howard (Introduction) 3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 54,246 ratings — published 1920 — 380 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, Elizabeth Ammons (Annotations) 3.27 of 5 stars 3.27 avg rating — 43,575 ratings — published 1911 — 288 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The House of Mirth 3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 avg rating — 33,164 ratings — published 1905 — 281 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ethan Frome and Other Short Fiction by Edith Wharton, Mary Gordon (Introduction) 3.62 of 5 stars 3.62 avg rating — 8,857 ratings — published 1911 — 10 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Summer 3.65 of 5 stars 3.65 avg rating — 4,326 ratings — published 1917 — 114 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton, Linda Wagner-Martin (Annotations) 3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 avg rating — 3,461 ratings — published 1913 — 83 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Buccaneers by Edith Wharton, Marion Mainwaring 3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 avg rating — 2,361 ratings — published 1938 — 33 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton, Laszlo Kubinyi (Illustrator) 3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 avg rating — 1,142 ratings — published 1937 — 25 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Roman Fever and Other Stories 4.1 of 5 stars 4.10 avg rating — 1,112 ratings — published 1934 — 13 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton, Regina Barreca (Introduction) 3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 avg rating — 1,118 ratings — published 1922 — 73 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Edith Wharton…

Series by Edith Wharton

Old New York (4 books)
by Edith Wharton
3.914560770156438 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 831 ratings

Halo Tarrant / Vance Weston (2 books)
by Edith Wharton, Marilyn French
3.7542372881355934 of 5 stars 3.75 avg rating — 118 ratings

Quotes by Edith Wharton

“Set wide the window. Let me drink the day.”
― Edith Wharton, Artemis to Actaeon and Other Verses

tags: carpe-diem, day, daytime, window

1,413 people liked it

“Life is always either a tightrope or a feather bed. Give me the tightrope.”
― Edith Wharton

tags: tough-broad

767 people liked it

“If only we'd stop trying to be happy, we could have a pretty good time.”
― Edith Wharton

tags: happiness

571 people liked it

See all Edith Wharton's quotes »

Polls

What fiction book would you like to read for June?

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons

11 votes, 27.5%

Meet Mr. Mulliner by P.G. Wodehouse

8 votes, 20.0%

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

8 votes, 20.0%

This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald

7 votes, 17.5%

Loving; Living; Party Going by Henry Green

2 votes, 5.0%

The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton

2 votes, 5.0%

Crome Yellow by Aldous Huxley

2 votes, 5.0%

40 total votes

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Edith Wharton

Author profile

combine editionsEdith Wharton's Books

Series by Edith Wharton

Quotes by Edith Wharton

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Topics Mentioning This Author

combine editions
Edith Wharton's Books