Willa Cather was born on December 7th 1873 and grew up in Virginia and Nebraska. She became known particularly for her novels of frontier life, featuring the Bohemian immigrants she had known growing up in Red Cloud, Nebraska, although the themes of her novels are not restricted to pioneer life. In 1922 she won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel set during the First World War – One of Ours.
Willa Cather is now certainly regarded as one of the great American writers, a writer I re-connected with a couple of years ago, and I am now trying to read everything she wrote. I have read several of her novels already, have another five sitting here waiting to be read, but as yet have not read any of her short stories. A reading week therefore is just what I need to focus on reading some Cather, and share my enthusiasm for her work. I would love to get lots of people reading her novels and stories, talking about her and sharing thoughts about her books on blogs.
Novels
• Alexander’s Bridge (1912)
• O Pioneers! (1913)
• The Song of the Lark (1915)
• My Ántonia (1918)
• One of Ours (1922)
• A Lost Lady (1923)
• The Professor’s House (1925)
• My Mortal Enemy (1926)
• Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927)
• Shadows on the Rock (1931)
• Lucy Gayheart (1935)
• Sapphira and the Slave Girl (1940)
Collections
• April Twilights (1903, poetry)
• The Troll Garden (1905, short stories)
• Youth and the Bright Medusa (1920, short stories)
• Obscure Destinies (1932, three stories)
• Not Under Forty (1936, essays)
• The Old Beauty and Others (1948, three stories)
• Willa Cather: On Writing (1949, essays)
• Five Stories (1956, published by the Estate of Willa Cather)
• The Selected Letters of Willa Cather (published 2013)
Please feel free to tweet/talk about and share the event on your blogs and I’d love to know if you’re thinking of joining in. Several of her books are available from Project Gutenberg, so expenditure isn’t even necessary 🙂
I haven’t decided yet which Willa Cather works I will be reading that week, and I may even warm up with some before then.
heavenali 
I would be keen to read One of Ours if you decide to read that.
Oh yes do read that. I read it a few months ago. Everyone who joins in must read whichever Cather takes their fancy.
I would love to join in but can only manage to listen to a few of the books. I have just returned from Germany where I met some American descendents of some of those early pioneers who went from the Rhineland to the mid west. It was fascinating to hear their histories but not one had heard of Willa Cather! recommended they start with the wonderful My Antonia. I will ask if any of them will join in.
Brilliant thanks Bridget. I’m surprised that the people who you met hadn’t heard of Willa Cather, great that you could tell them about her. My Antonia is a lovely book.
I was going to ask which of Cather’s novels you would recommend someone new to her try, and this comment gave me my answer. Thanks! 🙂
I would recommend My Antonia and O Pioneers as good places to start, (I haven’t read all her novels yet) A Song of the Lark is an amazing novel but it. s very big about 600 pages. Her first novel Alexander’s Bridge I loved, it’s great for a first novel and very slight indeed, only about 100 pages. I’d go for one of those.
Psst! (Look out for a giveaway in the middle of Wills Cather reading week)
You can’t go wrong with Cather. For feminist themes, I recommend The Song of the Lark or O Pioneers! If you don’t fancy Nebraska, then try Death Comes to the Archbishop, which is set in New Mexico. I have less experience with the short stories — it will be interesting to explore them.
Oh yes the prairie trilogy is excellent, I have read Oh Pioneers My Antonia and Song of the Lark along with some others. Death Comes to the Archbishop is one of the ones I am contemplating for December.
I read all of Willa Cather’s work in a short space of time, because I fell in love with the first one I read, but that was years ago now, so it would be lovely to do some rereading. The Song of the Lark is calling, but I also like the idea of re-reading in chronological order ….
Song of the Lark was great. Some re-reading sounds good.
I have several unread Cathers so I shall try very hard to join in!
Great 🙂 I would love you to.
I will participate, definitely. I have My Mortal Enemy waiting for me, and maybe I’ll have time for a short story collection. I’ll have to check my library catalog.
Excellent, I have My Mortal enemy too, it looks very good.
Great idea! I love Cather and think she is one of those rare writers who make you feel as well as think. Her novels make my heart swell. I will for sure be joining in and I think I’ll read The Professor’s House.
Great choice. I think I read that one very many years ago but I bought a beautiful old Virago green edition not long ago to re-read.
I’ve read a couple of Cathers this year already & loved them so I’ll definitely join in. What a great idea!
Great! Glad you will joining us 😉
Funnily enough, I was in the new Foyles yesterday, and My Ántonia was in the staff picks. I picked it up as it looked interesting, but didn’t buy it in the end (so many unread books at home!). Have you read that one?
Yes it’s very good. One of her most famous works.
Will be reading Song of the Lark for sure!
Oh that’s a lovely book.
I will be joining in. Not really blogging at the moment but I will post something on tumblr. May reread Death Comes for the Archbishop.
I have heard very good things about that book.
This is a great idea. I’d love to join in, but I’ve read several of Cather’s books so far, and have only liked a couple of them. Good luck with your project though!
Oh that is a shame. I suppose we can’t all like the same things 🙂
Yes, I was really surprised that she wasn’t to my taste; I thought I would love her work. I have the same problem with Edith Wharton, sadly.
Love her too.
Perhaps I ought to give her another try, in that case. I really liked ‘Ethan Frome’, but I’ve been a bit disappointed with everything else I’ve read of hers. Which would you recommend?
The House of Mirth, and The age of Innocence,
Thank you! Both of those were ones I didn’t get on with the first time around, but I shall see if I can dig out my copies and give them another go.
[…] for RE-READING WILLA CATHER. Ali has a reading week planned, and I don’t have anything new to read but I am giving serious […]
I think I am going to have to jump in on this one! I have O Pioneers, and have been planning to read it nearly forever.
O Pioneers is wonderful, I really hope you enjoy it.
[…] and I company we would love you join us. Oh and while I have your attention – don’t forget Willa Cather reading week December 7th – 14th – […]
I have a coupleof Cather’s books in my TBR pile – I’m in !
Great idea Ali 🙂
Excellent. I’m looking forward to reading more Cather.
I have loved most of the books by Cather I have read, and one of my goals is to read more for my Classics Club challenge. I’m thinking of either Death Comes for the Archbishop or Sapphira and the Slave Girl. Looking forward!
Excellent. Will be great having you join us.
I’m definitely going to join in! I’ve been thinking about re-reading Shadows on the Rock. Or perhaps I’ll read more in The Selected Letters of Willa Cather. So happy to be connected with more Cather lovers. Lory @ Emerald City Book Review told me about this WC reading week.
Great to have so many Willa Cather fans joining in.
Ooo, going to have to join up. My Antonia is on my Classics Club list!
Excellent, glad to have you aboard.
I just found out about this at Brona’s. I am seriously considering it, but I will feel better about making a decision if I can finish up two books this week.
I hope you are able to join us in December I do enjoy Willla Cather’s writing.
I did it. I will join you guys in December.
Yay!
I think I may have to join you! I might try reading O Pioneers!
Oh I loved that one 🙂
[…] December, there’s Willa Cather Week, hosted by Ali. Earlier this year, I read Death Comes for the Archbishop and loved it, and I am looking forward to […]
I’m a little late to the party, but I’d like to join in. I have several Willa Cather novels on my bookshelf that I haven’t had an opportunity to read yet. This is a great idea, heavenali!
Great! Glad to have you with us.
[…] Willa Cather Reading Week – Hosted by Ali at Heaven Ali the week of December 7-14, I will probably only manage to read one book, O Pioneers! which is the first book in Great Plains trilogy. […]
Just found out about this event, and it sounds like my kind of thing. I would love to join in. 🙂
Excellent. Glad to have so many people joining in.
Hello ….I got My Antonia for Classic Club Spin#8 and both Brona from Brona’s Book and Jane from Fleur in her World directed me to your event …and this sounds just right….So I will for sure be joining your Willa Cather reading week 7th -14th December!!!
Oh I hope you love My Antonia the story is one which has really stayed with me.
I shall do my best to join in, Ali! 🙂
(Sorry just saw this comment Karen)
I would love you to join in but I know how hard it is to fit everything in.
Well, I’ll try – it’s not as if I haven’t got enough Cather books on Mount TBR! 🙂
In order to get a taste of Willa Cather I tried her Youth and the Bright Medusa short story collection two years ago. I love her writing style. If I’m able to (which sadly I doubt) I’ll try and join in with a reading of My Antonia.
Great choice.
Just a note: I have a book of her short stories, on Mt. TBR. My mother (Bucklesbook) just raves about her. I loved “My Antonia” and look fwd to reading more of her work!
I have started some short stories of hers too. Thought I’d get started early 🙂
I’m in! Haven’t decided which book yet though…
Excellent glad you will be joining us.
I’m a little late in joining in, but I would love to participate. I don’t think I could read the novels for the week so I’m sticking with short stories – haven’t decided on which collection though. 🙂
I’m starting with short stories too 🙂 glad you’re joining us.
Hello! I stumbled across your reading week on Twitter, and will join in, with Alexander’s Bridge. My own reading project at the moment is to read all of Melville House Press’s ‘The Art of the Novella’ series in a year, and that Cather is in the series. (I’ve started, but I’ll be posting my blog on it next week,) She is one of the writers on the list that I’ve never read, and feel the lack, so hope it will be good.
Glad you’re joining us too. Alexander’s Bridge is a lovely little book.
[…] reading Willa Cather. I read the book for Willa Cather Reading Week which was hosted by Ali @ Heaven Ali back in […]