author
Elizabeth Madox Roberts
1881–1941
A keen observer of Kentucky life, Elizabeth Madox Roberts transformed rural speech, family memory, and the rhythms of the land into richly human fiction. Her best-known novels, including The Time of Man and The Great Meadow, earned her a lasting place in American literature.
3 Audiobooks
Under the Tree
by Elizabeth Madox Roberts
My heart and my flesh
by Elizabeth Madox Roberts
In the Great Steep's Garden
by Elizabeth Madox Roberts
About the author
Elizabeth Madox Roberts (October 30, 1881–March 13, 1941) was an American novelist, poet, and short-story writer born in Perryville, Kentucky. She grew up in nearby Springfield, where family stories, Kentucky history, and local traditions deeply shaped her imagination. After teaching for a decade, she entered the University of Chicago at age 36 and graduated with honors in 1921.
Roberts published poetry, short stories, and seven novels. Her first novel, The Time of Man (1926), brought her national and international attention with its portrait of a Kentucky tenant farmer’s daughter. She followed it with works including My Heart and My Flesh, The Great Meadow, A Buried Treasure, and Black Is My Truelove’s Hair.
Her writing was recognized with honors including the John Reed Memorial Prize and an O. Henry Award, and both The Time of Man and The Great Meadow were considered for the Pulitzer Prize. Though her work has sometimes been overlooked, Roberts remains admired for her ear for folk speech and her vivid portrayal of Kentucky people and landscapes.