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O Pioneers! And Other Tales of the Prairie
The New York Public Library presents a new edition of a classic novel, collected together with two other stories, "A Lost Lady" and "The Bohemian Girl," by one of the foremost writers of the American West.
- GenresClassics
432 pages, Hardcover
First published October 19, 1999
About the author
Willa Cather
979 books2,849 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 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 20, 2020
Cather's writing is so simple and honest that it reads like nonfiction. The characters are true to life and like life surprising. This book has 3 separate stories that are indeed surprising and elegant.
October 3, 2024
Great novel and two novellas about settling the plains of Nebraska. I’m sorry I haven’t read this before now. Beautifully descriptive and very readable. A female author ahead of her time writing about strong female characters.
July 14, 2021
Didn't think O Pioneers was that great of a story. The bohemian girl was ok, skipped A Lost Lady.
May 12, 2010
Actually, I finished this book a while ago... I don't really know why I put off writing this review. Anyways, it was purely great. Fantastic, I might add. Really quite tragic at parts! I LOVED the story, and it was so beautiful.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews