Edith Wharton was an American novelist who wrote many works of fiction, including The Age of Innocence and The House of Mirth. She was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 1921 for her novel, The Age of Innocence. She was also a prolific writer of short stories and poetry. Her works often explored the lives of the upper class in New York City during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.