Zona Gale facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Zona Gale
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| Born | August 26, 1874 Portage, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | December 27, 1938 (aged 64) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of Wisconsin - BA (1895), MA (1899, 1901), Honorary degree (1929) |
| Genre | Fiction primarily |
| Notable works | Miss Lulu Bett |
| Notable awards | Pulitzer Prize for Drama, 1921 |
| Spouse | William L. Breese (1928 to her death) |
| Children | one daughter and one stepdaughter |
| Parents | Charles Franklin Gale Eliza Beers |
Zona Gale (born August 26, 1874 – died December 27, 1938) was an American writer. She wrote novels, short stories, and plays. Zona Gale was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1921. This is a very important award for plays.
She was very close to her parents. This special bond influenced her writing and her life. Her books often described her hometown in a charming and realistic way. She was good at showing the true feelings of her characters. Zona Gale always used her maiden name for her books.
Later in life, she adopted a girl and became a single parent. After her parents passed away, she became interested in a topic called mysticism. This new interest changed her writing style. Some critics, who liked her earlier work, were not happy with this change. She married a childhood friend when she was in her fifties. He was a widower. Zona Gale also supported important causes. These included women's rights, peace, and education.
Contents
Zona Gale's Early Life and Education
Zona Gale was born on August 26, 1874. Her parents were Charles Franklin and Eliza Beers Gale. They lived in Portage, Wisconsin. Zona was very close to her parents. They inspired the "charming elderly couple" in her book The Loves of Pelleas and Etare.
She started writing and drawing stories when she was only seven. Her first story was written in pencil. She didn't know how to write properly yet. The pages were held together like a book with a ribbon.
When she was sixteen, Zona sent a short story called "Bob" to a newspaper. It was the Milwaukee Evening Wisconsin. She was paid $3 for her story. She went to Wayland Academy first. Then she attended the University of Wisconsin.
She earned a Bachelor's degree in 1895. She also received two master's degrees later. Her poems were published in university magazines. In 1929, she received an honorary degree from the university.
Zona Gale's Writing Career
After college, Zona Gale worked for the Milwaukee Evening Wisconsin newspaper. She got the job by visiting the editor's desk every day. After two weeks, she was asked to write about a flower show. Six weeks later, she was hired.
In 1896, she worked for the Milwaukee Journal. In 1901, she moved to New York City. She tried to get a job at every newspaper there. She made a list of story ideas for the New York World. She kept trying until she got two assignments, and then a job.
All of this was so largely sheer adventure and pioneering that none of it now seems to me to have been either will or purpose, but sheer delight.
—Zona Gale
She also worked as a secretary for Edmund Clarence Stedman. Through him, she met other writers. These included Ridgely Torrence and Richard Le Gallienne. She had a relationship with Ridgely Torrence.
In 1903, she returned to her hometown. She saw Portage in a new way. This changed her writing. She felt her "old world was full of new possibilities." In 1904, she moved back to Portage for good. There, she focused on writing her stories full-time.
Popular Books and Awards
Zona Gale published her first novel, Romance Island, in 1906. She then started the popular "Friendship Village" series. Many people thought these stories were about Portage. However, Gale said Friendship Village was a typical small town, not one specific place.
In 1910, she won first prize for her short story "The Ancient Dawn." The prize was $2,000. In 1920, she published her novel Miss Lulu Bett. This book showed life in the Midwestern United States. It was praised for being very realistic. People compared it to books by Sinclair Lewis.
She turned Miss Lulu Bett into a play. This play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1921. Zona Gale was very skilled at writing about the daily lives of ordinary people. Her early works were seen as sentimental. But they also showed the deeper meanings in her characters' conversations.
Frederick Tabor Cooper said her work brought "human exhilarating sunshine." He felt her characters were "real and true and big of soul."
Later Writing Style
In 1926, she published Preface to Love. This book showed her new interest in mysticism. This interest grew after her mother died in 1923 and her father in 1929. In her mystical works, she believed people's problems could be solved through inner wisdom.
Critics did not like these new books and essays. They viewed her work less favorably from then on. This happened even when she tried to write more realistically again.
She wrote a book about her friend, Frank Augustus Miller. He founded the Mission Inn Hotel. The biography was called Frank Miller of Mission Inn. It was published in 1938. Zona Gale always used her maiden name for all her writings.
Zona Gale's Political and Social Work
Zona Gale was a suffragist. This means she supported women's right to vote. She was also an activist and a liberal Democrat. She supported the La Follettes in politics. This included Robert Sr. and his sons Robert Jr. and Philip. She spoke for them at events and on the radio during their campaigns.
She was an active member of the National Woman's Party. She worked hard for the 1921 Wisconsin Equal Rights Law. In the same year, she helped start the Lucy Stone League in New York. She became a member of its main committee. Her work for women helped solve a problem she wrote about often. This was women's frustration with their lack of opportunities.
Zona Gale became a pacifist during World War I. This means she was against war. She was a director of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. She also spoke out against military training in colleges. She was on the committee for the American Union Against Militarism. She was also a member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and the Women's Peace Society.
Zona Gale did not belong to a war torn world. Her influence for peace and good will lives on. That in no way will affect our love for her or her love for humanity.
—Ada James, social work leader, December 28, 1938
She was against racial prejudice. She wanted to improve communication between different races. She served on the Wisconsin Free Library Commission. In 1922, she created Zona Gale scholarships. These helped talented young adults pay for their education.
Zona Gale and the University of Wisconsin
Zona Gale later became a regent for the University of Wisconsin. A regent is like a board member. She was involved in a disagreement about the university's president, Dr. Glenn Frank. Governor Philip La Follette wanted Frank removed. Zona Gale supported Frank and criticized the governor's actions.
Zona Gale's Personal Life
In 1902, she met Ridgely Torrence in New York. They had a deep, spiritual connection. But Zona decided to return to her family in Portage. In 1906, construction began on a house for her and her parents. It was located by the Wisconsin River in Portage. She lived there for most of her adult life.
Her mother died in 1923. In 1926, Zona started caring for a girl named Leslyn, who was a relative. She officially adopted Leslyn in 1931.
On June 12, 1928, when she was 54, Zona married William L. Breese. He was a childhood friend and a widower. He was a rich banker and hosiery maker. They lived in a house in Portage after they married. Zona also became a stepmother to William's daughter, Juliette Blackman Breese. Juliette married Cecil Bennett in 1930. Zona's father died in 1929. After her parents' deaths, she became very interested in philosophy.
She loved to travel to places like California, New York, and Japan. Zona Gale often visited the Mission Inn Hotel in Riverside, California. She became good friends with its founder, Frank Augustus Miller.
Zona Gale's Death and Legacy
Zona Gale went to Chicago in December 1938 for medical treatment. She got pneumonia around December 20. She died of pneumonia at Passavant Hospital in Chicago on December 27. Dr. Glenn Frank, the former university president, led her funeral. She was buried at Silver Lake Cemetery in Portage.
Most of her money, about $60,000, went to Leslyn, who was 12, and Juliette. Leslyn was to receive Zona's personal items and the Zona Gale house when she married. Juliette received another house. Some money was also set aside for the Zona Gale scholarships. William Breese died on October 1, 1954. By then, Leslyn had married Robert Keie.
In Zona's memory, William Breese created the Zona Gale Breese Library in Portage. He also donated two houses. One was the Zona Gale house, which went to the Women's Civic League. The performing arts center in Portage was named after her. A historic marker in Commerce Plaza Park in Portage also honors her life.
Images for kids
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Leslyn at the Breese home in Portage.jpg
Leslyn at the Breese home in Portage, 1930
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William, Zona, and Juliette on her wedding day.jpg
William, Zona, and Juliette on her wedding day, 1930
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Zona Gale historical marker.jpg
Zona Gale historical marker, Portage
See also
In Spanish: Zona Gale para niños
