Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton (1862–1937) was an American writer. Born into New York’s upper class, she spent parts of her childhood in France, Germany, and Italy. Her novels and short stories often critically examined the social constraints of the milieu in which she was raised. Among her best-known works is the society novel The Age of Innocence, for which she became the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize in 1921. She also wrote travel books and cultural essays. In 1923, Yale University awarded her an honorary doctorate, making her the first woman to receive that distinction from the university; she was later elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.