Francie and Finch Bookshop will host a book launch for the newest edition of Willa Cather's "The Professor's House," edited by Melissa Homestead, at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 24. Homestead, a professor of English and program faculty in Women and Gender Studies at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, will be in conversation with Emily Rau, editor of the Willa Cather Archive.
Homestead's additions to Cather's sixth work include a new introduction and notes for those looking to dive deeper into the story. More information on the new edition can be found here.
"The Professor’s House," originally published in 1925, depicts the mid-life crisis of Godfrey St. Peter, a history professor at a midwestern state university who is disillusioned with his wife and daughters, his university, and the materialism of American culture. He longs for Tom Outland, his most brilliant student, who died on a World War I battlefield. At the same time, Tom’s recollection of discovering hidden cliff dweller ruins in New Mexico interrupt Godfrey’s narrative. Cather’s own experiences of travel in the Southwestern U.S. with her partner, Edith Lewis, shadow and enrich her depictions of Tom’s New Mexican experiences.
Homestead, in addition to her work as a professor, directs the Cather Project and is co-editor of "The Complete Letters of Willa Cather." She has published widely on American women’s writing and authorship, including "American Women Authors and Literary Property" (2005) and "The Only Wonderful Things: The Creative Partnership of Willa Cather and Edith Lewis" (2021).
Rau, in addition to her role at the archive, is an assistant professor in digital humanities in the University Libraries. She received her master's from Lehigh University and her doctorate from Nebraska.
Francie and Finch is located at 130 S. 13th St. Ste. 100.
