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Great Short Works of Willa Cather
A luminous collection--with an introduction, notes, chronology, and bibliography--of ten of Willa Cather's short works written from 1900 to 1920.
Hardcover
First published June 1, 1989
About the author
Willa Cather
980 books2,847 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 - 25 of 25 reviews
February 5, 2024
A fantastic collection of ten short stories. All of the stories were good and some were exceptional. Of the stories my favorites were: Eric Hermannson's Soul, is the story of Eric Hermannson who belongs to a very strict evangelical church but has secretly fallen in love with the sister of his friend who has come to visit her brother. On the last night before she returns home she asks Eric to dance with her and when his minister finds out he tells him that he has now condemned his soul to damnation. A Wagner Matinee, the story about a young man's aunt who has come from her Nebraska ranch to visit him in Boston. She had moved away thirty years before from Boston and he takes her to a concert. The Bohemian Girl, is the story about a young man who has returned to his mothers home after being away for twelve years. His purpose for returning was to reclaim the girl he left behind who had married his brother.
March 2, 2008
Along with her essay The Novel Demeuble, this anthology includes only nine of the more than fifty stories Cather published. These are arguably the best though and span 32 years, giving us an overview of her short works and showing her development as a writer. Her stories illustrate the conflicts between the American East and newly settled West, in our relationships, and within us. Cather is best known for her depictions of the American frontier but always the true focus of her stories is on character. We glimpse the landscape through the eyes of immigrants seeking to better their lives, mixing their own Old World customs and beliefs with those of their neighbors and shaping a new country.
I was going to give you my favorite piece from The Bohemian Girl to chew on, but it goes on and on for pages. All the way to the end. I have things to do and can’t sit here reading to you all day. Sorry, but you’ll just have to read it yourself.
I was going to give you my favorite piece from The Bohemian Girl to chew on, but it goes on and on for pages. All the way to the end. I have things to do and can’t sit here reading to you all day. Sorry, but you’ll just have to read it yourself.
May 22, 2015
Cather is one of those "quiet" American classics who bear rereading. Her language is simple, her style almost style-less, yet the total effect of her short stories and especially her novellas is undeniable. In an age in which all of our work must end happily or grossly or thrillingly, Cather is often content to end her stories quietly with devastating results. I'd read some of the shorter works here a long time ago, "After the Funeral," A Wagner Matinee, Paul's Case," but I didn't know the longer, far richer, and better "Uncle Valentine, The Bohemian Girl, Neighbor Rosicky" or "Old Mrs. Harris." Cather is able to put together an entire little world, often a world unique from her other tales and full to itself in these longer stories. Not one could be mistaken for another. The cultivated, upper middle class world of ""Uncle Valentine" is very different from the back yard and church social middle class Denver suburb of "Old Mrs.Harris" and those are distinctive from the west of "The Bohemian Girl" and the later west of "Neighbor Rosicky." Yet each one is deeply textured and full. Her main characters are just that,main,, but by no means all. The narrators--whether named or not--have plenty to say, and their opinions, and feelings are important as those characters they are writing or talking about.
February 4, 2017
Willa grew up a small town girl in Red Cloud, Nebraska back in the 1880-90s. Brilliant kid, she got into college, studied journalism, went into the newspaper biz, edited magazines, got big, met lots of influential and rich people, ended up living with her girlfriend in a swank flat on Park Avenue.
Along the way she wrote one of the five great American novels, My Antonia. which I, like nearly everyone else who's read it voluntarily, dearly love and admire greatly. My Antonia is set in the wild young Nebraska she grew up in. Much of this book is set among the wealthy matrons of New York City and theri ilk. They often remind me of the Marx Brothers' foil Margaret Dumont. I just don't dig it.
The few stories that are set back home are lovely, the rest - out with you.
Along the way she wrote one of the five great American novels, My Antonia. which I, like nearly everyone else who's read it voluntarily, dearly love and admire greatly. My Antonia is set in the wild young Nebraska she grew up in. Much of this book is set among the wealthy matrons of New York City and theri ilk. They often remind me of the Marx Brothers' foil Margaret Dumont. I just don't dig it.
The few stories that are set back home are lovely, the rest - out with you.
December 29, 2012
While Cather is an outstanding descriptive writer, there were no happy endings or reasons for hope in these stories. They could all be summarized thusly, "life is hard, period." I do feel she has interesting insight into human nature. I'm glad I read this book. I'm glad it's over.
January 2, 2023
It always takes me a while to get into Willa Cather. Her novels are lives of people and the plot is simply living life but her characters are so rich, so real. These stories are all good ones and I really enjoyed "Old Mrs. Harris," the last one in the book.
December 6, 2024
I'm not a big fan of the short story format, so I don't read many short stories. Cather's stories in this collection are much like her novels: character studies more than elaborate narratives. I thoroughly enjoyed nearly every story, and I'm really glad I picked up this collection at the library.
January 7, 2018
Wonderful stories, every one of them. If I had room in the house, this would definitely have been a keeper.
February 27, 2022
using this because I cannot find the bookkeeper's wife in list
August 17, 2022
I couldn't finish it. Maybe another time.
June 29, 2024
I can't seem to get Cather. Very dry and almost impersonal.
June 22, 2015
The greatest gift Ms. Cather had was in making her characters knowable. When reading a story, you felt that you know the people she wrote about. You could sit down for a cup of coffee with them, like you have known them forever.
'Eric Hermannson's Soul' is about the religion and love of life out on the prairie. Eric 'gets religion' then meets a woman who shows him that life could be enjoyed.
'The Sculptor's Funeral' is set in his parent's home. He had left home to get his education out East and became successful and happy. One of his students is in attendance. The local community pillars are also there. The talk turns to how the sculptor treated his folks, embarrassingly bad. Another fellow from the town, a lawyer, is there as well and sets them all straight.
'A Wagner Matinee' has his aunt coming to Boston for a few days to settle an inheritance. He shows her around and she ends up crying for joy. You sort of wonder if she regrets her choices made many years ago.
'Paul's Case – A Study in Temperament' is a high school kid suffering from angst. He just can not get past that he can not have an exciting, fun filled life.
'The Enchanted Bluff'' is in New Mexico. A group of high school boys hanging out on a sand bar during the summer regale each other with stories and plans for the future. One of them tells of this place in New Mexico.
'The Bohemian Girl' is the daughter of the local barkeeper. She has married well and her brother-in-law, the prodigal son, sort of, has come to visit.
'Uncle Valentine (Adagio non troppo)' lived next door to the narrator when she was growing up. He was a composer who married badly, lived in France, etc and got away from all that. He has come home and he and the little girl's family are close. The time he is there is wonderful, in fact, later on, you learn that it is referred to as 'the golden year.'
'Neighbour Rosicky' is a gentle farmer who has grown old. His family is one of the few that are truly happy. His wife and children are the joy of his life. He has known city life and never thinks it is worthy of a second thought if there is a choice. He is proud that he has given his children that choice.
'Old Mrs. Harris' is the mother who takes care of her daughter's family like a maid or cook or nanny. There are trials and tribulations to be dealt with and she does. She is from an old Southern well-to-do family, with certain social standards and ways.
'The Novel Démeublé' is not a story. It is an exposition of writing and what makes a better writer.
'Eric Hermannson's Soul' is about the religion and love of life out on the prairie. Eric 'gets religion' then meets a woman who shows him that life could be enjoyed.
'The Sculptor's Funeral' is set in his parent's home. He had left home to get his education out East and became successful and happy. One of his students is in attendance. The local community pillars are also there. The talk turns to how the sculptor treated his folks, embarrassingly bad. Another fellow from the town, a lawyer, is there as well and sets them all straight.
'A Wagner Matinee' has his aunt coming to Boston for a few days to settle an inheritance. He shows her around and she ends up crying for joy. You sort of wonder if she regrets her choices made many years ago.
'Paul's Case – A Study in Temperament' is a high school kid suffering from angst. He just can not get past that he can not have an exciting, fun filled life.
'The Enchanted Bluff'' is in New Mexico. A group of high school boys hanging out on a sand bar during the summer regale each other with stories and plans for the future. One of them tells of this place in New Mexico.
'The Bohemian Girl' is the daughter of the local barkeeper. She has married well and her brother-in-law, the prodigal son, sort of, has come to visit.
'Uncle Valentine (Adagio non troppo)' lived next door to the narrator when she was growing up. He was a composer who married badly, lived in France, etc and got away from all that. He has come home and he and the little girl's family are close. The time he is there is wonderful, in fact, later on, you learn that it is referred to as 'the golden year.'
'Neighbour Rosicky' is a gentle farmer who has grown old. His family is one of the few that are truly happy. His wife and children are the joy of his life. He has known city life and never thinks it is worthy of a second thought if there is a choice. He is proud that he has given his children that choice.
'Old Mrs. Harris' is the mother who takes care of her daughter's family like a maid or cook or nanny. There are trials and tribulations to be dealt with and she does. She is from an old Southern well-to-do family, with certain social standards and ways.
'The Novel Démeublé' is not a story. It is an exposition of writing and what makes a better writer.
October 1, 2015
It is really interesting to follow her evolution as a writer through each of these stories. The early ones are ripe with pretentiousness and she is obviously trying to squeeze the most out of every sentence, and when it works, it works, but when it doesn't it is pretty obvious she is just trying to impress you with her intelligence and education.
But as settles down she manages to say less and create more at the same time, and she succeeds in making it seem effortless. Each one is filled with tender and real characters, of whom some you are left wanting for a more complete story, while others have a poignant finality to them that is perfect for the short story form.
Considering how many popular novels she had, maybe this a selection more for the completists or lit majors, but HL Mencken's glowing praise for the short works she published sporadically throughout her career really made me feel like I would be missing out on something if I didn't dig some of them up, and that cranky old bastard was right, it is worth the trouble.
But as settles down she manages to say less and create more at the same time, and she succeeds in making it seem effortless. Each one is filled with tender and real characters, of whom some you are left wanting for a more complete story, while others have a poignant finality to them that is perfect for the short story form.
Considering how many popular novels she had, maybe this a selection more for the completists or lit majors, but HL Mencken's glowing praise for the short works she published sporadically throughout her career really made me feel like I would be missing out on something if I didn't dig some of them up, and that cranky old bastard was right, it is worth the trouble.
October 12, 2009
I read a couple of these stories as backgraound for a bus tour of Cather sites in Red Cloud, Nebraska (alas, the tour was cancelled due to an early October snow). The stories illustrate clearly Cather's own ambivalence toward her home town.
The Sculptor's Funeral is a bitter story about how an artist is misunderstood, disrespected, and despised in his home town.
Neighbor Rosicky is a praise song to the prairie and the settlers who loved it and struggled to make it their home.
The Sculptor's Funeral is a bitter story about how an artist is misunderstood, disrespected, and despised in his home town.
Neighbor Rosicky is a praise song to the prairie and the settlers who loved it and struggled to make it their home.
December 8, 2010
This is now one of my favorite collections of short stories. I enjoyed Cather's novels, but the short stories blew me away (especially Eric Hermannson's Soul and Neighbor Rosicky). I found the simplicity of the stories to be beautiful - but powerful in combination with the rich descriptions of scenery and character. She did an amazing job of depicting various types of strength and happiness. Beautiful.
February 15, 2016
Readability 6. Rating 6. A fairly wide selection of short works. As such, it is not surprising that there were some I liked more than others. The city stories tended to be just depressing, as did many of them overall. But her writing is so convincing that even those were bearable, and other stories, such as "Neighbor Rosicky" and "The Bohemian Girl" left some of the "life sucks" attitude behind and let some magic shine through.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2009
One of the best short story collections I've read in a long time. Cather deserves to be regarded as a top American author. The writing is absolutely beautiful, the characters are real, the stories are still relevant. I particularly enjoyed the latter half of the collection. By the way, I wish Neighbor Rosicky was my dad!!
February 22, 2009
Cather's beautiful usage of language warranted the fifth star. I enjoyed the stories she wrote later in life. "The Bohemian Girl" is worth reading even if you don't read any other short story in this volume. Lovely depiction of immigrants settling in western America. Captivating look at the every day lives of ordinary people, turn of the century. Refreshing...
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June 10, 2016Willa Cather has a secure place in the pantheon of my five or six favorite American writers. The works of Henry James heavily influenced her writing style, so I don't think people read her very much today, I also enjoy reading James, though. This is the first collection of her short stories I have read and I loved it.
February 11, 2016
This is the first time I have ever read anything by her. My English teacher co-workers always rate her highly, so I am finally dipping in.
These short stories are reminiscent of Chekov, whom I like very much.
These short stories are reminiscent of Chekov, whom I like very much.
February 2, 2014
This is my favorite collection of short stories in all of literature.
August 7, 2015
Nebraska dirt. 1930s economy. Ambitious immigrants out in the prairie.
February 23, 2026
Reread in Feb 2026. Enjoyed it very much
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews