Edith Wharton, born in New York City, came from a wealthy family. Her childhood was filled with extensive travels through Europe, where she developed a fondness for art, architecture and literature. At the age of 15, she wrote her first volume of poetry, which was published anonymously. In 1885, she married the wealthy banker Edward Robbins Wharton, but the marriage was difficult from the start. Her husband suffered from mental illness and Wharton increasingly sought refuge in literature. During this time, she wrote several novels, including The House of Mirth (1905), which made her famous. In 1907, Wharton moved to France, which became her adopted country. During the First World War, she was actively involved in humanitarian projects, organised refugee shelters and collected money for war victims. She was awarded the Legion of Honour for her efforts in 1916. In 1920, she published The Age of Innocence, a novel that addresses the strict social norms of the late 19th century and for which she was the first woman ever to receive the Pulitzer Prize. She spent the last years of her life in her villa in Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt near Paris, where she died in 1937 at the age of 75.