Laura Ingalls Wilder
Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder ( born February 7, 1867 in Pepin, Wisconsin, † February 10, 1957 in Mansfield, Missouri) was an American writer.
Life
Childhood and youth
Laura Ingalls Wilder was born as the second daughter of Charles Phillip Ingalls and Caroline Lake Quiner. Her parents were married on 1 February 1860 and had three more daughters (Mary, Carrie and Grace) and a son Charles Frederick ( Freddy ), but died a year after his birth. The childhood was marked by processions of the family, and early sprouted in her the desire to to pull to the west. 1879 Laura's blind sister Mary Ingalls, Laura and made up his mind, even to make money, to allow Mary to stay in college. Like her mother, Laura trained as a teacher, even though she had not liked the beginning the school.
Life as a farmer's wife and life as pioneers
On August 25, 1885 Laura married Almanzo James Wilder. Ten years older, farmers had to recruit long her until she agreed to a marriage. Although she was raised as a farmer's daughter on a farm, you were reluctant to live as a farmer. Almanzo made her then suggested four years to test this life. On December 5, 1886 Laura and Almanzos only daughter came into the world, the later author Rose Wilder Lane. Your unnamed son died in 1889 shortly after the birth.
The four years on the farm were characterized by strokes of fate. Due to an accident, the house burned down, and shortly thereafter diseased both Laura and Almanzo to diphtheria. As she had always wanted, Laura moved with Almanzo and Rose in the West to start a new life. In 1894 they settled in Mansfield and bought a farm, which they named "Rocky Ridge Farm ." Both worked hard, Almanzo and Laura at a delivery service for the railroad to be able to offer a good standard of living and Rose can.
Laura's social attitude and her death
Laura Ingalls Wilder was referring in their essays again and again position on social, and ethical problems. Their philosophy is characterized by a deep, but also pragmatic orthodoxy. So it is not in the classic sense progressive, but always open to new ideas. She obviously had no major problems with the fact that her daughter Rose Wilder Lane at the beginning of the 20th century had actively work as suffragettes. It is worth noting among other things that Laura Ingalls Wilder took one for that time almost unthinkable position in favor of Native Americans in their first newspaper published in 1894: "If I would have been an Indian, I think I would have scalped more white folks" Laura survived her husband, who died in 1949, almost ten years. She herself died three days after her 90th birthday.
Reception
Rose Wilder Lane urged her mother to summarize their notes from youth and childhood in a book. The first book version was rejected. Only after the conversion of their life story in a children's book a publisher accepted the book. Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote nine books about her life. Furthermore, she wrote numerous newspaper articles ( the first, in 1894 ) and numerous essays, which are now published in " samplers ".
Worth mentioning
Works
- Our small farm. Ueberreuter Verlag, Vienna 1995 ff Laura in the great forest ( "Little home in the big woods" ). 1995, ISBN 3-8000-2200-1.
- Laura on the prairie ( " Little House in the Prairie "). 1995, ISBN 3-8000-2201- X.
- Laura and her friends ( "On the banks of Plum Creek "). 1995, ISBN 3-8000-2202-8.
- Laura at Silver Lake ( "By the shores of the Silver Lake "). 1995, ISBN 3-8000-2203-6.
- Laura and the long winter ( "The long winter" ). 1995, ISBN 3-8000-2204-4.
- Laura in the small town ( "Little town on the Prairie "). 1980, ISBN 3-8000-2205-2.
- Laura's happy years ( "These happy golden years "). 1997, ISBN 3-8000-2206-0.
- Almanzo and Laura ( "The first four years" ). 1997, ISBN 3-8000-2523- X.
- Farmer Boy. Neuausg. Harper Trophy, New York 1994, ISBN 0-06-440003-4.