Louisa May Alcott

Behind a Mask, or a Woman's Power

Alcott, Louisa May (1832-1888), American writer, whose books for children are characterized by their intimate depiction of family life and loyalties. The daughter of American educator and philosopher Bronson Alcott, she was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania. She was raised in Boston, Massachusetts, and was tutored by American writers Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. While serving as a nurse during the American Civil War (1861-1865), Alcott wrote letters to her family that were later published as Hospital Sketches (1863). Alcott's most famous work is Little Women (1868-1869), an autobiographical novel of her childhood, describing family life in New England. Its sequels, Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886), are also considered classics. In order to support her family, which was often poverty stricken, Alcott wrote a number of thrillers. These well-crafted, suspenseful tales were published pseudonymously (under a false name) in various magazines. In 1995 one of these thrillers, A Long Fatal Love Chase, which had not previously been published, was released. The following year Alcott's first work, the unpublished novel The Inheritance (written 1849), was sold for publication. These two events, along with the 1994 release of a motion-picture adaptation of Little Women, sparked interest in Alcott's works in the mid-1990s.

Alcott, Louisa May," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 97 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1996 Microsoft Corporation. All rights Flower Fables

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