A writer of short fiction, children’s stories and two novels, within ten years of her first publication Kate Chopin was famous enough to be listed in the 1901 edition of Who’s Who in America. Her reputation, which sprang from an intense period of publication between 1889 and her death in 1904, was based on her regional stories. Born in St Louis, Missouri, of Irish-American and French descent, she spent her early years within the security of a wealthy, slave-owning family until the American Civil War (1861-5) destroyed the old social order. Their family

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First published 21 October 2004

Citation: Scullion, Val. "Kate Chopin". The Literary Encyclopedia. 21 October 2004.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=868, accessed 9 February 2010.]