Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin (1850–1904) was an American writer. Born Katherina O’Flaherty in St. Louis, she came from an Irish Catholic family on her father’s side and a French family on her mother’s. She married Oscar Chopin and had six children. After her husband’s early death, she began writing short stories and novels. Her best-known works include the novel *At Fault* (1890), the story “Désirée’s Baby,” and the novel *The Awakening* (1899). The latter challenged contemporary moral conventions and caused a scandal when it was published. Chopin’s literary importance was widely recognized only in the second half of the twentieth century.