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Author Biography of Kate Chopin To view more pictures of Kate Chopin click here! Kate Chopin was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1850. Her original name is Kate O'Flaherty. Her parents names are Eliza and Thomas O'Flaherty. She is third born out of five children and was the only one to live past the age of twenty-five. At the age of five Kate was sent to a Catholic boarding school named The Sacred Heart Academy in St. Louis. Two months later her father was killed when a train he was riding crossed a bridge that was unstable and collapsed. For the next two years Kate lived at home with her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother all of whom are widows. Kate lost her education at the Catholic boarding school but her grandmother oversaw kates education and taught her the gossip on the St. Louis women from the past, Music, and French. Kate spent most of her time aroung strong independant women. At sixteen Kate returned to the Sacred Heart Academy and was top of her class. She won many metals and after her graduation she was a popular debutante. Kate grew up during the civil war and her first novel was called At Fault, which was published in 1890. Later on she had written two short stories, Bayou Folk (1894) and A Night in Acadia (1897). Her novel The Awakening was published in 1899 and was known to have written over one hundred stories, essays, and sketches in literary magazines. Unfortunately, Kate Chopin died on August 22 1904 because of a sudden cerebral hemorrhage. To read more on Kate Chopin click here!