Who is Louisa May Alcott?
Louisa May Alcott is one of America’s most famous female writers of the 1800s, primarily known for her classic novel, Little Women. She lived from 1832 until 1888, leaving behind an enduring legacy of literary works. The daughter of a famous Transcendentalist, Amos Bronson Alcott, Louisa May Alcott spent much of her childhood and teenage years in Concord, Massachusetts. Her father was good friends with well-known writers including Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Louisa attended many dinners with them as a child, and grew to share their Transcendentalist ideals, which included an adherence to spiritualism and individuality. As she grew up, Louisa May Alcott became a fierce advocate for women’s rights, and fought to abolish slavery. At one point, in 1847, an escaped slave stayed with her family for a week. As an adult, she developed a strong interest in writing; her first novel, Flower Fables, was published in 1854. Louisa May Alcott worked as a nurse i
