The Awakening by Kate Chopin
The heroine of this story, Edna Pontellier, goes through the stages of a compelling but ultimately tragic search for personal freedom. On publication in 1899, this book provided a frank treatment on adultery which aroused a storm of controversy.
Kate Chopin was born in St Louis, Missouri on 8 Feb 1850. Born Katherine O'Flaherty, she grew up in a predominantly female household after her father died when she was just four years old. Her father was an Irish immigrant, and her mother was French Creole. In 1870 she married Oscar Chopin, a local cotton trader, and together they had six children. In 1882 Oscar died from swamp fever, leaving Kate a widow with a large family to support, and the heir to his sizeable debts. She turned to writing in order to support her young family, publishing her first short story in 1889. A number of her works were subsequently published in literary magazines and popular American periodicals, including Vogue. Chopin published only two novels in her lifetime: At Fault and The Awakening. The Awakening, published in 1899, was largely condemned as vulgar and immoral by critics of the time. Dismayed by such a harsh reception, Chopin cut short her brief career as a novelist, and for the remainder of her life focused solely on writing short stories, poetry and reviews. Kate Chopin died on 22 August 1904 from a brain haemorrhage.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781857151329 |
| ISBN 10 | 1857151321 |
| Title | The Awakening |
| Author | Kate Chopin |
| Series | Everyman's Library Classics |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Everyman |
| Year published | 1992-12-17 |
| Number of pages | 272 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |