‘She is undoubtedly one of the greatest American writers’ OBSERVER
‘My Mortal Enemy shows Miss Cather’s power at its most concentrated . . . It is a fine piece of art’ ETHEL WALLACE HAWKINS, ATLANTIC
‘But Cather is not just a good writer – she is unique, and great’ A. S. BYATT, GUARDIAN
‘People can be lovers and enemies at the same time. We were . . . ‘
Through the eyes of a young girl, Nellie, we view the life of Myra, a legend in the Southern town where both were born. Myra has romantically abandoned the luxury she was born into to elope with the impoverished Oswald Henshawe.
Twenty-five years later, Nellie is dazzled when she meets them living in the elegant poverty of an apartment frequented by singers, actors and poets in the heart of the artistic community of old New York. But this shabby gentility gives way to real poverty in a jerrybuilt West Coast hotel and the high purpose of Myra’s life – love itself – is revealed to be the enemy within.
A finely-wrought study of the great rewards and punishments love brings, My Mortal Enemy is an exquisite example of Willa Cather’s art.
‘My Mortal Enemy shows Miss Cather’s power at its most concentrated . . . It is a fine piece of art’ ETHEL WALLACE HAWKINS, ATLANTIC
‘But Cather is not just a good writer – she is unique, and great’ A. S. BYATT, GUARDIAN
‘People can be lovers and enemies at the same time. We were . . . ‘
Through the eyes of a young girl, Nellie, we view the life of Myra, a legend in the Southern town where both were born. Myra has romantically abandoned the luxury she was born into to elope with the impoverished Oswald Henshawe.
Twenty-five years later, Nellie is dazzled when she meets them living in the elegant poverty of an apartment frequented by singers, actors and poets in the heart of the artistic community of old New York. But this shabby gentility gives way to real poverty in a jerrybuilt West Coast hotel and the high purpose of Myra’s life – love itself – is revealed to be the enemy within.
A finely-wrought study of the great rewards and punishments love brings, My Mortal Enemy is an exquisite example of Willa Cather’s art.
Newsletter Signup
By clicking ‘Sign Up,’ I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Group’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Reviews
But Cather is not just a good writer - she is unique, and great
Willa Cather makes a world which is burningly alive, sometimes lovely, often tragic
My Mortal Enemy shows Miss Cather's power at its most concentrated, and has passages of a clear, etched beauty . . . It is a fine piece of art
She is undoubtedly one of the greatest American writers
