IRISH-AMERICAN-L Archives

From: "Jean Rice" <>
Subject: [Irish-American] Katherine (O'Flaherty) CHOPIN (1851-1904) - MO & LA w/Irish Roots - Creole/Cajun "Local Color" Writing
Date: Mon, 1 Dec 2003 14:51:04 -0800

SNIPPET: Katherine O'FLAHERTY grew up in a wealthy St. Louis, MO family. In 1870 she married Oscar CHOPIN, a Louisiana planter. When he died in 1882, the young widow returned to St. Louis and took up writing professionally. Her early subjects were the Creole and Cajun people she had observed while living in LA. She published her first novel, "At Fault," in 1890, but gained greater recognition for the more than 100 short stories she wrote, especially "Desiree's Baby" and "Madame Celestin's Divorce," which are still found in many anthologies. Collections of her short stories were published as "Bayou Folk" (1894) and "A Night in Acadie" (1897). Her novel, "The Awakening," (1899) effectively ended her writing career. Considered a remarkable work today for its frank portrayal of female passion, interracial marriage, and suicide, it elicited widespread condemnation when it was published. CHOPIN did little writing after that and died in 1904. Her works were eventually!
rediscovered in the 1960s and are considered superb examples of "local color" writing.

This thread:

• [Irish-American] Katherine (O'Flaherty) CHOPIN (1851-1904) - MO & LA w/Irish Roots - Creole/Cajun "Local Color" Writing by "Jean Rice" <>