A writer of short fiction, children's stories and two novels, within ten years of her first publication Kate Chopin was famous enough to be listed in the 1901 edition of
Who's Who in America. Her reputation, which sprang from an intense period of publication between 1889 and her death in 1904, was based on her regional stories. Born in St Louis, Missouri, of Irish-American and French descent, she spent her early years within the security of a wealthy, slave-owning family until the American Civil War (1861-5) destroyed the old social order. Their family slaves ran away when the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 freed all African-American slaves in the rebel southern states. Chopin's stories became famous for her depiction of American people of many racial, cultural and social variations in…
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Citation: Scullion, Val. "Kate Chopin". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 October 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=868, accessed 26 November 2024.]
