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Willa Cather
Willa Cather | Hermione Lee
1 post | 2 to read
Hermione Lees provocative and influential biography provides a sensitive reappraisal of a marvelous and often underrated writer. The Willa Cather she reveals here was a Nebraskan who spent much of her life in self-imposed exile from the prairies she celebrated in O Pioneers! and My Antonia, a woman whose life was riddled with the tension between masculine and feminine, and a writer whose naturalness of style disguised exquisite artistry. By exposing the contradictions that lie at the heart of much of Cathers life and work, Lee locates new layers of meaning and places her firmly at the forefront of the modern literary tradition that was taking shape in her time.
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Suet624
Willa Cather | Hermione Lee
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Going through my mother‘s things and I came across a box of old postage stamps. “What the heck am I supposed to do with these? Are any of them worth any money? Can I just chuck them?” Then I came across this stamp, issued by the post office in 1973. I‘m sure my mother kept it because her aunt lived with Cather for almost 40 years. Still not sure what to do with some of the ancient stamps, but this one I‘ll definitely keep.

Theaelizabet Wow! That‘s a great story! 4y
AmyG I had his with my father-in-law. They are still good to use. Just buy the correct stamps to add to equal today‘s postage. And wow....great Willa Cather story. 4y
Tamra Awesome! 4y
See All 25 Comments
saresmoore Neat! 4y
Nebklvr Some might be worth some money. I‘d do a quick glance on ebay or search before getting rid of them 4y
JamieArc Wow! Cool! 4y
Suet624 @Nebklvr I‘ll try that. Thanks! 4y
batsy Such a great find! 4y
Suet624 @batsy @saresmoore you must roll your eyes every time I mention my aunt and Willa Cather. 😍 I‘ve mentioned it enough times. (edited) 4y
Reggie Wow!!! 4y
readordierachel Incredible! 4y
Tanisha_A 😍 4y
Graywacke Wow...ok, these have value outside the $$ value. And - I‘m not rolling my eyes! - What‘s the story of your aunt and Willa Cather? ( guessing you know about our #catherbuddyread ) 4y
Suet624 @Graywacke Actually, I found out there was a buddy read of her books, but was immersed in the NYRBbookclub buddy read. I can just barely handle even one buddy read. I'm generally a go-it-alone person, even with book reads. The deal with my great-aunt is this - Edith Lewis (my mom's aunt) was a companion for years. My mother flipped out when the first suggestion of Edith/Willa being gay came out. (continued)
4y
Suet624 @graywacke My mother said that Edith loved, respected, and supported Willa, but that they were not lovers. It's come to light that Edith may have significantly edited Willa's work throughout the years. I have read accounts of Edith getting very jealous though when Willa became good friends with others which might suggest they were lovers, but I sometimes fall into that trap with friends too and I'm not sleeping with them. (continued) 4y
Suet624 @Graywacke Here's an interesting piece about their relationship and their burial spot - side by side. http://suehallgarth.com/grave-matters-willa-cather-and-edith-lewis/ 4y
Graywacke @Suet624 of course that relationship is a big deal for Cather experts, as she never spoke out on her identity. (And writes some curious characters like the completely non-sexual Enid in One of Ours). But - for you it‘s family! That‘s pretty special, history! I‘m guessing you did not you know your great Aunt?? 4y
Graywacke @Suet624 i will check that link out. Thanks! 4y
Suet624 @Graywacke No, I didn't know her. I do remember though that when she died my mother only received her closet full of clothes. Unfortunately, my recollection is that Edith hadn't been out of bed or out of the house in quite some time so most of the clothing wasn't something my mother would ever use. I think she was disappointed. :) 4y
Graywacke Funny about the clothes! The article you linked me to was really interesting. The author‘s same is also Sue, but a different last name. Is it safe to assume it‘s not you? 4y
Suet624 @Graywacke Your assumption is correct. 😀 (edited) 4y
Graywacke @Suet624 I wanted to make sure ☺️because what most surprised about the article was how really offended and angry the author felt about the mistakes (well, possibly intentional errors). I mean it‘s kind of fascinating how caught up people get. ... But I didn‘t want to say that to Sue Hallgarth! 😳 4y
Suet624 @Graywacke (I just had to correct my you‘re/your above. 🤦🏻‍♀️) I know my mother would have applauded Hallgarth‘s efforts. 😂😂 4y
Graywacke @Suet624 since I‘m a typo waiting to happen, all I can say about your/you‘re is good catch! 👍 Interesting about your mom. Obviously, feelings are different and a little more open to whatever today. Different era. 4y
Suet624 @Graywacke I think my mom was greatly upset by the idea that just because two women lived together the later generations automatically assumed they were gay. It was a different era and it‘s possible that they were chaste companions. It‘s also quite possible they were lovers! Who knows. 😀 But my mother never read or saw anything that supported the idea that they were more than companions. 4y
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