Fanny Butcher: Literary Connections

Although she was not swayed by personal connections in her actual reviews of books, Butcher did make an effort to highlight the work of certain writers; in particular, she always paid special attention to the writers of the Midwest. Authors like Carl Sandburg, Ring Lardner, Willa Cather, and many others could expect favorable (but still honest) reviews from Butcher, as well as personal correspondence. She was proud of the work that came out of Chicago and the Midwest in general.

[L-R] Gertrude Stein, Fanny Butcher, Bobsy Goodspeed.
Bobsy Goodspeed party. 1934. Newberry Library.

Letter to Fanny Butcher from Willa Cather.
Fanny Butcher papers, 1830-1984 [page 596]. Willa Cather, creator. Circa 1935. Newberry Library.

In her memoir, Butcher dedicates a chapter each to Edna Ferber, Willa Cather, Carl Sandburg, Sinclair Lewis, H.L. Mencken, Getrude Stein, and Ernest Hemingway. In these chapters, she discusses her first meetings with the authors, which generally were newspaper-related business, as well as the enduring friendships she formed with them. Her first meeting with Edna Ferber, she remembers, was originally meant to be a 30-minute, journalistic interview, which Butcher conducted for one of her early, unpaid magazine jobs. However, Butcher recalls that the meeting ended up going on for around two hours, and was more of a lively, engaging conversation than an interview at all. 

Fanny Butcher with Carl Sandburg, ca. 1950. 1950/1959. Newberry Library.

Nelson Algren and Fanny Butcher, 1956. May 21, 1956. Newberry Library.

Another career assignment was reviewing the then-unknown Willa Cather’s first novel, Alexander’s Bridge (1912). Butcher was also an unknown writer at the time, still working for small papers and only signing her reviews with her initials. After her review was published, Cather reportedly wrote a letter to the paper, thanking the reviewer for the attention paid to her novel. Butcher formed enduring bonds with many of the authors of the books she reviewed; she corresponded with them for decades, traveled with them, and visited with their families.