Margaret Ayer Barnes
Margaret Ayer Barnes was an American author born on April 8, 1886, in Chicago, Illinois. She came from a family with a legal background and pursued her education at the University School for Girls and Bryn Mawr College, graduating in 1907. After marrying Cecil Barnes in 1910 and having three sons, her writing career began in 1926 following a life-altering car accident that left her nearly paralyzed. While recovering in the hospital, she wrote short stories which led to her first sale in 1926 and subsequent publications.
Barnes gained notable recognition with her first novel, "Years of Grace," published in 1930, which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1931. She explored themes of women's lives in urban settings, particularly through her critically acclaimed works, including "Edna His Wife" and "Westward Passage." Her writing often addressed the challenges faced by upper-class women, skillfully reflecting generational changes in social attitudes. Barnes also ventured into playwriting and collaborated with Edward Sheldon on several plays. She remained a resident of Chicago until her death on October 26, 1967.
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Subject Terms
Margaret Ayer Barnes
Writer
- Born: April 8, 1886
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
- Died: October 26, 1967
- Place of death: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Biography
Margaret Ayer Barnes was born on April 8, 1886, in Chicago, Illinois. Her father, Benjamin F. Ayer, was a lawyer and her mother, Janet Hopkins Ayer, was the daughter of James Hopkins, a federal judge. Barnes had three older siblings, a brother and two sisters. Barnes received her education at the University School for Girls in Chicago and at Bryn Mawr College, graduating in 1907 with a B.A. in English. She returned to Chicago and married Cecil Barnes in 1910. The couple had three sons.
Barnes started writing in 1926 after a car accident left her nearly paralyzed. Confined to a hospital, she wrote short stories to pass the time. Following her friend Edward Sheldon’s suggestion, she decided to sell them. She sold her first story to the Pictorial Review in December 1926 and proceeded to sell all of the stories that she had written during her recovery. Inspired by her success, she wrote about a dozen more stories which were also published. In 1928, eight of her stories were collected in Prevailing Winds.
In 1930, she published her first novel, Years of Grace. The book won the 1931 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. In 1931 she published her second novel, Westward Passage, and sold the it to Radio-Keith-Orpheum (RKO) Pictures. That same year, Tufts College awarded her an honorary master’s degree. During this period, Barnes moved on to playwriting: In 1927, she adapted Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence (1920) to the stage. Barnes and Sheldon collaborated on two plays, Jenny (1929) and Dishonored Lady (1930).
Barnes continued to write successful novels. Within This Present appeared in 1933, Edna His Wife in 1935, and Wisdom’s Gate in 1938. Two of her most critically acclaimed novels, Years of Grace and Edna his Wife, deal with a woman’s life and are set in large metropolitan cities, primarily Chicago. The novels address the problems faced by women of upper-class society. Edna is unsophisticated, self- conscious, and unable to fit into the society associated with her husband’s profession. Years of Grace recounts the story of a mother and daughter who face nearly identical problems at different points in history—during the 1880’s and 1890’s, and after World War I. The mother sacrifices her desires to the exigencies of society while the daughter follows her own desires. Remaining objective, Barnes skillfully depicts the changes in social attitudes between generations. Barnes’s historically accurate details further emphasize the changes that occurred from one era to another.
Barnes lived in Chicago for her entire life. She combined what she referred to as domesticity with writing. She died on October 26, 1967.