MY 'ANTONIA

MY ÁNTONIA is a novel published in 1918 by American writer WILLA CATHER, first published by Houghton Mifflin in 1918. The novel tells the stories of an orphaned boy from Virginia, Jim Burden, and the elder daughter in a family of Bohemian immigrants, Ántonia Shimerda, who are each brought as children to be pioneers in Nebraska towards the end of the 19th century. The first year in the very new place leaves strong impressions on both children, affecting them for life. This novel is considered Cather's first masterpiece. Cather was praised for bringing the American West to life. The title refers to Ántonia, a young woman immigrant to the western prairies of the US. The story is told by her friend Jim, who arrives there at age ten to live with his grandparents. Jim thinks of her as his close friend, "my Ántonia." My Ántonia was enthusiastically received in 1918 when it was first published. It was considered a masterpiece and placed Cather in the forefront of novelists. It has been adapted for television, stage, and a song by Emmalou Harris and Dave Mathews.