Willa Cather was raised in pioneer Nebraska and came to become one of the most important novelists of the first half of the 20th century. Although her best-known works label her as a chronicler of the pioneer West, her themes are intertwined with the universal story of the rise of civilizations in history, the drama of the immigrant in the new world, and views of personal involvement with the arts. Among her works are O Pioneers!, My Antonia, and Death Comes for the Archbishop. Early in her career, acclaimed as one of the most successful novelists of her time, a few years later some critics accused her of not dealing with contemporary problems.