Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton, born Edith Newbold Jones on January 24, 1862, in New York City, was destined for a life of privilege and creativity. The youngest of three children, she spent her early years traveling Europe with her parents before returning to the United States and enjoying a privileged childhood in New York and Newport, Rhode Island. By the age of eighteen, Wharton had already written a novella and published poetry in the Atlantic Monthly, showcasing her innate talent for storytelling.

Wharton's marriage to wealthy sportsman Edward Wharton, while seemingly ideal due to their similar backgrounds and shared love for travel, ultimately proved unsuccessful. Many of her novels, including her first major one, The House of Mirth (1905), chronicle unhappy marriages and the conflict between love, vocation, and societal expectations. Her reputation as an important novelist was further solidified with the publication of Ethan Frome in 1911. During this time, Wharton frequently socialized with influential writers and artists such as Henry James, F. Scott Fitzgerald, André Gide, Sinclair Lewis, Jean Cocteau, and Jack London.

In 1913, Wharton divorced Edward and spent the remainder of her life in France. When World War I broke out, she took action by organizing hostels for refugees, working as a fundraiser, and writing for American publications from the battlefield frontlines. Her courage and dedication earned her the French Legion of Honor. In 1921, The Age of Innocence, a novel about New York in the 1870s, earned Wharton the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, making her the first woman to receive the prestigious award. Throughout her life, Wharton encouraged young authors and continued to write, passing away on August 11, 1937, and being laid to rest in the American Cemetery in Versailles, France.