author
Edna Worthley Underwood
1873–1961
A largely self-taught poet and translator, this remarkable American writer built a literary life out of sheer determination and a gift for languages. Her work ranges from original poetry and stories to ambitious translations that helped bring European voices to English-language readers.
3 Audiobooks
The taste of honey : The note book of a linguist
by Edna Worthley Underwood
The garden of desire : Love sonnets to a Spanish monk
by Edna Worthley Underwood
A book of dear dead women
by Edna Worthley Underwood
About the author
Born in Maine in January 1873 and raised in part in Kansas, Edna Worthley Underwood grew up with limited formal schooling but pursued an intense program of self-education. Sources on her life consistently describe her as an author, poet, and translator who taught herself Latin and several modern European languages, then went on to study at the University of Michigan.
Underwood wrote poetry, fiction, essays, and short stories, and she became especially known for translation. Her published work includes Sonnets from the Crimea, her translation of Adam Mickiewicz, and archival collections show the breadth of her career across original writing, journalism, and literary correspondence.
She died on June 14, 1961. Even in a literary world that often rewarded conventional paths, her story stands out for its independence: she made herself into an international-minded writer through study, persistence, and a deep love of literature.