Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott lived in the town of Harvard, Mass. for one year.  In 1843, at the age of 10, she moved from Concord, Mass., to Harvard where she lived with her family until 1844. Her father, Amos Bronson Alcott, founded a Utopian commune called Fruitlands on Prospect Hill in Harvard. The commune was based on transcendentalist principles, and Alcott hoped to create a community where people could live in harmony with nature and each other. However, the commune was not successful, and the Alcott family left after seven months. When they left Fruitlands, they lived in a rented house in Still River before moving back to Concord. Louisa May Alcott wrote about her experiences at Fruitlands in her book “Transcendental Wild Oats.”

Louisa May Alcott is famous for her children’s books, especially “Little Women.” She began writing at a young age, and her first book, a collection of poems, was published in 1856 when she was 24 years old.  She also wrote a number of short stories and essays.

Alcott was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, in 1832. She was the second of four daughters. Her father, Bronson Alcott, was a transcendentalist philosopher and educator. Her mother, Abigail May, was a strong-willed woman who helped to raise her daughters to be independent and self-reliant.

In 1861, Alcott volunteered as a nurse during the American Civil War. She served in a hospital in Washington, D.C., where she cared for wounded soldiers.

After the war, Alcott returned to her writing career. She published a number of novels, including “Little Women” (1868), a semi-autobiographical novel about the Alcott family, especially the four girls and their mother. It is considered one of the most popular young adult books of all time.  Alcott wrote a number of other novels, including “Little Men” (1871) and “Jo’s Boys” (1886).

Louisa May Alcott died in 1888 at the age of 55. She is remembered as one of the most important writers for children.