Chasing Bright Medusas

A Life of Willa Cather

By: Benjamin Taylor

Narrated by: Benjamin Taylor

“Chasing Bright Medusas should appeal to anyone — novice or expert — ready to explore Cather’s life and work in the company of a critic so alert to the shimmering subtlety of her style and the hard years of effort that went into crystallizing it.” —The Washington Post

A tender biography of one of the greatest authors of the twentieth century and an elegant exploration of artistic endurance, as told by a lifelong lover of Willa Cather’s work

The story of Willa Cather is defined by a lifetime of determination, struggle, and gradual emergence. Some show their full powers early, yet Cather was the opposite—she took her time and transformed herself by stages. The writer who leapt to the forefront of American letters with O Pioneers! (1913), The Song of the Lark (1915), and My Ántonia (1918) was already well into middle age. Through years of provincial journalism in Nebraska, brief spells of teaching, and editorial work on magazines, she persevered in pursuit of the ultimate goal—literary immortality.

Unlike Hemingway, Faulkner, and Fitzgerald, her idealism was unironic, and she stood alone among the great modern authors—at odds with the fashionable attitudes of her time. Combining intricate analysis with an empathetic, lyrical voice, Benjamin Taylor uncovers the reality of Cather’s artistic development, from modest beginnings to the triumphs of her mature years. His book is simultaneously an homage to her character, a warm consideration of her work, and a case being made to read Cather with renewed vigor.

©2023 Benjamin Taylor (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“...Taylor provides a remarkably revealing account of the life and creative output of Willa Cather...Taylor’s connection of Cather’s personal life and her literary inventions is consistently astute, and the exuberant force of her imagination emerges vividly...the author presents a rewarding and perceptive portrait, providing a valuable assessment of Cather’s intriguing character and the enduring importance of her oeuvre. Keen, insightful commentary on a literary master.” —Kirkus Reviews

This succinct biography is a terrific introduction to the life and work of the Pulitzer Prize winner...Taylor reminds you of what you loved of her work while encouraging you to pick up the books you may not have read." —The Boston Globe

"This slim homage to one of the great American writers is an absorbing introduction...After finishing the book, yes, I finally started reading Cather." —The Minneapolis Star Tribune

A creative life well lived

I was sad this ended. I love the author’s narration. I could see and hear Willa throughout.

The sense of her friendships and impact in her life. And then the sense of place.

I got the sense of the progression of her writing. My grandmother was in her English class in Pittsburgh and I have been curious about her.

writing zanvd reading

story of her life plainly told with empathy and connecting happenings in her life with her fiction

Willa Cather

The story was good but the narrator was very unpleasant to listen to. He should get a professional to do the reading.