Louisa May Alcott (1832 - 1888)

Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott was a 19th-century American writer.

Louisa, the daughter of transcendentalist Bronson Alcott, grew up in the company of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Theodore Parker, and Henry David Thoreau. Her education was largely under the guidance of her father, who, however, did not know how to properly provide for the family.

Louisa was forced to begin writing short stories and publishing in The Atlantic Monthly magazine. It could be said that need forced her to write an autobiographical book, Little Women (1868-69), which immediately became so popular that Louisa was finally able to pay off her debts. The book describes the domestic adventures of an optimistic New England family of modest means, tracing the different characters and destinies of four sisters as they grow up and face work, society, and marriage.

Alcott published sequels to the book, Little Men (1871) and Joe's Boys and What Came of Them (1886). There have been numerous films based on Little Women already in the 20th century, including the classic 1933 film starring Katharine Hepburn as Joe and the 2019 Greta Gerwig adaptation.

Alcott wrote other domestic stories based on her early experiences, and her books for younger children remain enduringly popular. Already in the 21st century, the gothic short stories and thrillers published by Alcott under a pseudonym between 1863 and 1869 have been collected and reprinted.