Willa Cather (1873-1947) was an American author who grew up in Nebraska. She is best known for her depictions of frontier life on the Great Plains in novels such as "O Pioneers!", "My Ántonia," and "The Song of the Lark." "Alexander"s Bridge," her first novel, was serialized in McClure"s Magazine. It is a work heavily influenced by her admiration for the style of Henry James.