Willa Cather | Biography, Books, Short Stories, & Facts Willa Cather (born December 7, , near Winchester, Virginia, U.S.—died Ap, New York City, New York) was an American novelist noted for her portrayals of the settlers and frontier life on the American plains. At age 9 Cather moved with her family from Virginia to frontier Nebraska, where from age 10 she lived in the.