Edith Wharton

1862–1937 · lived 75 years

Edith Wharton was an American novelist and short story writer, known for her penetrating depictions of American high society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her works often explore themes of social class, morality, and the constraints placed upon women. She is considered one of the most important writers in American literature.

n. 1862-01-24, Nova Iorque · m. 1937-08-11, Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt

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Bio

Edith Wharton was born on January 24, 1862, in New York City. Hailing from a wealthy family, her privileged upbringing provided her with access to a wide range of cultural and social experiences. Wharton began writing poetry and short stories in her youth, but it was with her novels that she achieved international fame. "The Age of Innocence," published in 1920, earned her the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, making her the first woman to win such an honor. Other notable works include "The House of Mirth" and "Ethan Frome." Her writing is characterized by an elegant style, a keen eye for human psychology, and a subtle critique of social conventions. Wharton spent much of her adult life in Europe, particularly in France, where she also served as a nurse during World War I. She passed away on August 11, 1937.

Poems

No poems found

Quotes

It was the old New York way of taking life “without effusion of blood”: the way of people who dreaded scandal more than disease, who placed decency above courage, and who considered that nothing was more ill-bred than “scenes,” except the behavior of those who gave rise to them.

The worst of doing one’s duty was that it apparently unfitted one for doing anything else.

Almost everybody in the neighborhood had “troubles,” frankly localized and specified; but only the chosen had “complications.” To have them was in itself a distinction, though it was also, in most cases, a death warrant. People struggled on for years with “troubles,” but they almost always succumbed to “complications.”

In the rotation of crops there was a recognized season for wild oats; but they were not sown more than once.

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