Edith Wharton

Profession: Novelist

Nationality:

Biography: Edith Wharton was an American novelist, best known as the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize, which she won in 1921 with her novel The Age of Innocence. Her other famous works include The House of Mirth (1905) and Ethan Frome (1911).

Wharton was born into a wealthy family in a time when writing was not considered proper to women of her class. She defied this expectations, sometimes subtly and other times more openly, to become an important writer in this era.

Her works often drew on her experience of high society, which she used to create convincing portrayals of the New York "aristocracy" during the Gilded Age.

Born: January 24, 1862
Birthplace: NYC, New York, USA
Star Sign: Aquarius

Died: August 11, 1937 (aged 75)
Cause of Death: Stroke