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Willa Cather letters

 Collection
Identifier: Vault MSS 778

Scope and Contents

Five handwritten, typewritten, and signed letters from author Willa Cather. Four of the items are addressed to a "Mr. Wyer." Mr. Wyer" may be referring to Malcolm Glenn Wyer, who was librarian at the Denver Public Library at the time, where Cather had often done research. Cather tells Wyer about her social activities and contacts. Also included is a letter from Cather to "Miss McNully," a reviewer. Cather praises McNully's well-written review and laments the poor quality of many reviews of her works. Materials dated approximately 1926-1931.

Dates

  • approximately 1926-1931

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open for public research.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from Letters must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Board of Curators.

Biographical / Historical

Willa Cather was born December 7, 1873, in Virginia. She is most famous for her writing on pioneer life in Nebraska and the West, where she lived for most of her life. She wrote seven novels set in Nebraska. Her most famous and critically acclaimed novel, "My Ántonia," published in 1918, combined autobiographical elements with the backdrop of the west in a coming-of-age story. Another critically recognized novel, "Death Comes for the Archbishop" published in 1927, explores the life of a fictional bishop in the Southwest. Cather received honorary degrees from five universities, including Yale and Princeton. She died April 24, 1947, in New York.

Extent

1 folder (0.01 linear ft.)

Language of Materials

English

Appraisal

American western history (Mormon and Western American Manuscripts Collection Development Policy V.B.5.c, 2020)

Related Materials

See also The Willa Cather Archive at University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

Processing Information

Processed; Marissa Bischoff and Bethany Gustafson; December 2023. Item level inventory added.

Title
Register of Willa Cather letters
Status
Completed
Author
Leslie Evens
Date
2011 November 21
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English in Latin script.

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States