Kate Chopin
Kate Chopin (1850-1904) was an American author of short stories and novels. She was born in St. Louis, but moved to New Orleans following her marriage to Oscar Chopin. After Oscar’s cotton business went south, they moved to his family’s plantation in northwestern Louisiana. Their marriage would only last 12 years, due to Oscar’s death. Kate was left a young widow with six children, so she turned to writing. Her work received much criticism at the time due to its openness with sexuality at the time. Nowadays, her work is considered artistic and sophisticated American literature.