Edith Wharton (1862-1937) was an American writer whose novels and short stories reflected her life in 19th Century upper-class society. As her writing pursuits were discouraged by her prominent New York family, Wharton's first works were published under pseudonyms and anonymously. Her first collection of stories that appeared under her own name was The Greater Inclination (1899) and her first novel, The Valley of Decision (1902). Among her best-known works are The House of Mirth (1905), The Age of Innocence (1920), and Ethan Frome (1911). She was awarded both the Pulitzer Prize and Noble Prizes for Literature.
