Cather's lifelong conservative politics, appealing to critics such as Mencken, Randolph Bourne, and Carl Van Doren, soured her reputation with younger, often left-leaning critics like Hicks and Edmund Wilson. Despite this critical opposition to her work, Cather remained a popular writer whose novels and short story collections continued to sell well; in 1931 Shadows on the Rock was the most widely read novel in the United States, and Lucy Gayheart became a bestseller in 1935.
Cather's lifelong conservative politics appealing to critics such as Mencken Randolph Bourne and Carl Van Doren soured her reputation with younger often left-leaning critics like Hicks and Edmund Wilson Despite this critical opposition to her work Cather remained a popular writer whose novels and short story collections continued to sell well; in 1931 Shadows on the Rock was the most widely read novel in the United States and Lucy Gayheart became a bestseller in 1935