From Library Journal
Toth and Seyersted, both biographers of Chopin, have categorized this wealth of mostly unpublished material according to Chopin's three identities: the unmarried Kate O'Flaherty (1850-70), the wife and mother (1871?84), and the widow and professional writer (1885-1904). However, disappointment awaits anyone looking to these varied papers?including notebooks, diaries, poems, and illustrations?for a clear psychological picture of the spirit behind the masterpiece The Awakening (1899). A private person with a strong sense of Victorian propriety, Chopin reveals little of her inner life; even her 1894 diary is guarded and unenlightening. Only her manuscript account books?with word counts, publication place and date, and payment?indicate how seriously she took her profession as a writer. The insights Toth provides into Chopin's life surely did not come from these morsels. Recommended for large academic libraries only.?Charles C. Nash, Cottey Coll., Nevada, MOCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Kate Chopin, according to her contemporaries, was a "woman of mysterious fascination" - and Kate Chopin's Private Papers reveals many of the author's secrets. Chopin (1850-1904), author of about a hundred short stories and two novels (The Awakening and At Fault), also kept diaries, wrote letters and poems, translated short stories and articles from the French, and worried about her career. Chopin's newly discovered manuscripts, published for the first time here, reflect her dedication to revision and improving her craft; her manuscript account books show her meticulous control of her career and her pursuit of audiences. These papers illuminate the growth of Chopin as a writer, bring into focus the reactions of critics to her work, and settle a number of controversies in Chopin studies.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal