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Sarah Orne Jewett

Sarah Orne Jewett (1849–1909) was an American novelist and short-story writer whose ‘local colour’ works remain amongst the most important for detailing life in the American countryside. Best known today for her short stories, in particular ‘A White Heron’, a tale that considers the beauty of nature and man’s tendency to destroy it, Jewett’s avant-garde anti-hunting stance and feminist values have led to a renewed interest in her wider works.

A White Heron and Other Stories

A tale for our times, ‘A White Heron’ follows Sylvia, a young woman who moves from the city to live with her grandmother in the Maine countryside. One day she is approached by a trophy hunter, who is keen to track down a rare and elusive bird so that he can shoot it and preserve it – but Sylvia finds herself enabling the bird’s escape. Painting beautiful portraits of American countryside, and tapping into deep debates around humans and their relationship with nature, this extraordinary short-story collection was years ahead of its time, and is ripe for rediscovery.

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