Louisa May Alcott

Biography

Louisa May Alcott (born Louisa May Alcott; November 29, 1832 - March 6, 1888) - American writer, who became famous in 1868 published the novel "Little Women", which was based on memories of her growing up in a society of three sisters.
…The future writer was born in a poor family friendly. Her father, Amos Bronson Alcott (1799 - 1888) was the son of a poor farmer. As a boy he learned to read and write independently, and then stubbornly engaged in self-education, has become one of the most educated men and philosophers of his time. Hot partisan transcendentalism, a friend and admirer of Emerson and Thoreau, he was an innovator in the field of education and founder of several schools in the states of Pennsylvania, and Concord, as well as in Boston. In his teaching he was trying to bring to life the idea of self-education through self-analysis. In his school teacher's role was reduced to give advice to students and the curriculum included not only the general subjects, but also painting, music, nature study, physical education. Not all parents of his students understood and accepted his progressive ideas, so he founded schools are often closed, and the family was forced to move to a new location. (For thirty years, Alcott perezzhali about 20 times.) Later, his ideas have gained recognition in the period 1859 - 1864 he worked as an inspector of schools in Concord. In 1879 he founded the Concord Summer School of Philosophy for adults who work 9 years until his death in 1888.
Mother Louise - Abigail May Alcott (1800 - 1877) - came from a high-born neo-English family. Household and raising four daughters required a lot of time and effort, but despite that Abigail, progressive-minded woman and a preacher of practical application of Christian virtues, to pay continued attention to charity, actively helped the poor, was a supporter of the abolition of slavery, supported women's rights movement and carried out in that the campaign period of the struggle for sobriety. She became the first paid social worker in Massachusetts.
Louisa May Alcott was the second of four daughters. Olcott family came from New England, but Louise was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When she was two years old, the family moved to Boston, where Amos Bronson Alcott founded an experimental school and joined the club transcendentalists, led by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. After several setbacks with the school, Alcott moved to Concord, Mass., where he joined a utopian settlement «Fruitlands», based transcendentalists. Education Louise and her three sisters (Anna, Elizabeth and May) was prepared at home under the guidance of his father, had a great influence on her and the circle of his friends: Emerson, Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Margaret Fuller. She wrote about this in his essay «Transcendental Wild Oats», in 1876 and reprinted in the book «Silver Pitchers», devoted to the time spent in Olcott «Fruitlands». Currently, the house where the family lived Alcott, is a museum. The girls were friends with children Emerson and often put together in a neighbor's barn plays written by Louisa. Financial position of the family has always been difficult, and from early youth, Louise tries to find earnings: she was a seamstress, maid, companion, and then a teacher. The whole experience later became a source of material for her art. In 1922, Louise wrote her first book, "Fables of flowers» («Flower Fables»), which includes stories, composed for Ellen Emerson, daughter of Ralph Waldo Emerson.
During the Civil War served as a nurse in a military hospital in Georgetown. Impressions of the war years are reflected in the published in 1863, "The health essays" that attracted considerable interest in their author. Positive evaluation of the work criticized Alcott convinced that success is waiting for her in the way of images of real life rather than in descriptions of flights of fancy.
And she was right - the real fame came to her in 1868 when it was published the first part of the story "Little Women" tells the story of growing up a family of four daughters March: Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. It was created at the request of the Boston publisher Thomas Niles, who asked Alcott to write a "book for girls. " Meg has served as the prototype of her older sister Anna, she expressed herself in the image of Joe, and the images of Beth and Amy were based on her younger sisters, Elizabeth and May, respectively. Unlike Jo March, his literary incarnation, Louisa May Alcott never married. The writer was at the center of public attention, and proceeds from the sale of this and the following books allowed her to provide material well-being of parents and devote himself entirely to literary work. The book's success prompted the writer to compose several related product stories.
Starting from 1868 new books Alcott appear almost annually, and each of them enthusiastically meet publishers and readers.
Throughout his career, Alcott also wrote autobiographical poems, essays, short stories, among them the "Work" (1873) and "transcendental enthusiasm of youth" (1873), as well as memories of Thoreau and Emerson.
In 1879, after the death of her sister May, the writer has taken the education of his two-year niece Louisa May Neriker (she was named in honor of my aunt, and even got the same family nickname - Lulu).
Later, Alcott became an active campaigner for women's rights and was the first woman registered to participate in elections in Concord, Massachusetts.
His last years were marred by Alcott painful disease. Mother's death, and several years later and his father, with whom Louise associated particularly good relationship, for it was a heavy blow. Despite failing health, Alcott continued to write until his death. She died in Boston March 6, 1888 from the effects of long-term mercury poisoning (due to typhoid fever a long time it took calomel), two days after the death of his father and was buried in Concord.

Bibliography

1849 - The Inheritance
1854 - Flower Fables
1863 - Hospital Sketches
1864 - The Rose Family: A Fairy Tale
1865 - Moods
1867 - Morning-Glories and Other Stories
1867 - The Mysterious Key and What It Opened
1868 - Little Women (English Little Women)
1868 - Three Proverb Stories (includes "Kitty's Class Day", "Aunt Kipp" and "Psyche's Art")
1869 - The good wife (born Good Wives), sequel to "Little Women"
1870 - An Old Fashioned Girl
1871 - Little Men (English Little Men)
1872/82 - Aunt Jo's Scrap-Bag
1873 - Transcendental Wild Oats
1873 - Work: A Story of Experience
1875 - Rose and the seven brothers (born Eight Cousins or The Aunt-Hill)
1875 - Beginning Again, Being a Continuation of Work
1876 - Silver Pitchers, and Independence: A Centennial Love Story
1876 - Rose in Bloom: A Sequel to Eight Cousins
1878 - Under the Lilacs
1880 - Jack and Jill: A Village Story
1886 - Jo's Boys
1886/89 - Lulu's Library
1888 - A Garland for Girls
1893 - Comic Tragedies

 

A few days ago watching a screen version of the book "Little Women. " Connoisseurs retro and Katherine Hepburn worth looking at setting of 1933. Movies certainly beautiful and interesting, albeit many discrepancies.