author
Anna De Koven
1860–1953
A novelist and historian from a prominent Chicago family, she wrote with both social polish and a strong interest in the past. Her books range from fiction to biography and memoir, including works published as Mrs. Reginald de Koven.
1 Audiobook
The Counts of Gruyère
by Anna De Koven
About the author
Born Anna Farwell and later known as Anna de Koven, she was an American novelist, historian, and society figure whose life bridged literary, musical, and historical circles. She was the daughter of U.S. senator Charles B. Farwell and the wife of composer Reginald de Koven, and she is often identified in print as Mrs. Reginald de Koven.
Her writing was varied rather than confined to one lane. She published fiction, historical work, and memoir, including a biography of John Paul Jones and the later book A Musician and His Wife, which drew on her life with Reginald de Koven. That mix of storytelling and historical interest gives her work a distinctive place among early 20th-century American women writers.
Some sources list her birth year differently, but reliable references agree that she died in 1953. She is remembered today not only for her own books, but also for the way she moved between literary culture, public history, and the high-profile social world of her era.