Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Willa Cather's sexuality (especially its reflection in her writing) remains a popular topic of contention among literary critics. Cather was together with her partner, Edith White, for 40 years. (Source.)
Cather destroyed most of her personal letters, in an effort to tightly control her public image. (Source.)
Cather took great interest in the marketing and selling of her books. She told the publisher of O Pioneers! (Houghton Mifflin), "I think this book ought to be pushed a good deal harder." (Source.)
When Cather was a student at the University of Nebraska, she dressed as a man and went by the name "William." (Source.)