Edith Wharton

From the acclaimed biographer Hermione Lee, renowned for her definitive works on Virginia Woolf and Willa Cather, comes a monumental reexamination of Edith Wharton, one of America's most celebrated women of letters. Drawing upon previously untouched sources, Lee masterfully dismantles the traditional image of Wharton as a snobbish bluestocking, revealing instead a figure of formidable strength, startling modernity, and an intellect as intricate and profound as her own celebrated fiction. Born into the highest echelons of New York society, Wharton ultimately forged a life in France, where her iconic novels and stories came to define American literature. Yet, as Lee meticulously illustrates, Wharton's personal journey—marked by both extraordinary success and compelling scandal—was every bit as dramatic and engaging as the narratives of her most memorable heroines. This biography stands as a brilliant bridge between two centuries and two distinct cultural sensibilities, vibrantly bringing Wharton to life through the perceptive lens of one of our era's most distinguished literary biographers.