On his deathbed, he calls for the eldest of his four children, Alexandra. Attempting to tame his acres of inhospitable land, they experience sickness, debt and death. He and his family arrived from Sweden eleven years prior. The novel opens and we meet the Bergson family settlers to “the Divide”, a hard and punishing area of the American prairie. “A pioneer should have imagination, should enjoy the idea of things more than the ideas themselves” Published in 1913, the language is beautifully descriptive without being heavy.Īnd it tells a universal story one of survival, family, tragedy, strength in adversity - and hope. “O Pioneers!” by Willa Cather is one of my favourite (modern) classics. Sign up to our Weekly newsletter Subscribe to our magazine for more great content
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