Although few today read her work, Rose Terry Cooke (1827-1892) once held a prominent place among the short-fiction writers known as local colorists. Her career began before the Civil War. Her first story was published in
Graham’s Magazine(1845); her first verses appeared in the
New York Tribuneunder the editorship of Charles A. Dana, to whom she dedicated her book of poems in 1861. She gained wide notice when her work was featured in the inaugural issue of
The Atlantic Monthlyin 1857.
First and foremost, Rose Terry Cooke was a popular writer. She made her living by the pen. Yet, despite her popularity, there is only one known contemporary source on Cooke’s life. Written by Harriet Prescott Spofford, this portrait was included in Our Famous Women (1884). [The only other source
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Citation: Rohrbach, Augusta. "Rose Terry Cooke". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 November 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1002, accessed 04 October 2024.]