Mary MacLaneβs I Await the Devilβs Coming is a shocking, brave and intellectually challenging diary of a 19-year-old girl living in Butte, Montana in 1902. Written in potent, raw prose that propelled the author to celebrity upon publication, the book has become almost completely forgotten.
In the early 20th century, MacLaneβs name was synonymous with sexuality; she is widely hailed as being one of the earliest American feminist authors, and critics at the time praised her work for its daringly open and confessional style. In its first month of publication, the book sold 100,000 copies β a remarkable number for a debut author, and one that illustrates MacLaneβs broad appeal.
Now, with a new foreward written by critic Jessa Crispin, I Await The Devilβs Coming stands poised to renew its reputation as one of Americaβs earliest and most powerful accounts of feminist thought and creativity.
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