Emma Wolf (June 15, 1865 – August 30, 1932) was an American

litterateur An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the world of culture, either ...

and novelist. She published early in life and was the author of five novels. Wolf was born with a congenital defect and spent part of her life in a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a mobilized form of chair using two or more wheels, a footrest, and an armrest usually cushioned. It is used when walking is difficult or impossible to do due to illnesses, injury, disabilities, or age-related health conditio ...

Early life and education

Emma Wolf was born June 15, 1865, in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. Her parents, Simon and Annette (née Levy) Wolf, were Jewish and were emigrants from

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, France. There were ten siblings, including a sister, Alice, who was also an author. She was educated in the public schools of San Francisco, including the Girls High School, as well as the

Teacher's College Teachers College, Columbia University (TC) is the graduate school of education affiliated with Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, Teachers College has been a part of Columbia University since ...

. A physical disability kept her from becoming a teacher.

Career

Early on, Wolf developed a bent for publishing her work. Her Jewish-themed novels attracted particular attention, while other novels focused on the changing roles of women. Numerous short stories were contributed to magazines. Her first novel, ''Other Things Being Equal'' (

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

A. C. McClurg A. C. McClurg was a stationer, publisher, and book wholesaler for over 120 years in Chicago, Illinois. The business began in 1844 as Chicago's first stationery store and first retail bookstore', changing hands several times, often as the result of ...

, 1892), focused on the present-day social life of the American Jew, with the lesson derived being that other things being equal, a Jewish woman may marry a Christian. It affirmed the morality and peace of Jewish homes. '' A Prodigal in Love'' (

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, 1894), again set in San Francisco, was a successful novel telling the story of home perplexities. This was followed by ''Joy of Life'' (New York City, A. C. McClurg, 1896), the story of two very different brothers. ''Heirs of Yesterday'' (Chicago, A. C. McClurg, 1900) was described by Adler & Szold (1906) as "an interesting novel in which the force of tradition upon the Jew and the prejudiced attitude of the Christians are the underlying motives". Wolf's last novel, published in 1916, was entitled ''Fulfillment''.

Personal life

Affected by a congenital defect, Wolf did not lead a very active life. In her later years, she was reliant on a wheelchair. She lived for a number of years at San Francisco's Dante Sanitorium. Wolf was a member of Congregation Emanu-El and the Philomath Club. Emma Wolf died in San Francisco, on August 30, 1932.

Selected works

* ''Other Things Being Equal'' (1892) * ''A Prodigal in Love'' (1894) * ''Joy of Life'' (1896) * ''Heirs of Yesterday'' (1900) * ''Fulfillment'' (1916)

Gallery

Other things being equal (IA otherthingsequal00wolfrich).pdf, ''Other things being equal'' (1892) A prodigal in love - a novel (IA prodigalinloveno00wolfrich).pdf, ''A prodigal in love'' (1894) The joy of life (a novel) (IA joyoflifeanovel00wolf).pdf, ''The joy of life'' (1896) Heirs of yesterday (IA heirsyesterday00wolfrich).pdf, ''Heirs of yesterday'' (1900) Fulfillment; a California novel (IA fulfillment00wolfrich).pdf, ''Fulfillment'' (1916)

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

Selected works

Gallery

References

Further reading