Death Comes for the Archbishop was written by which author?

• A. Henry James
• B. Edith Wharton
• C. Kate Chopin
• D. Willa Cather

Answer: (D)

Identifying the author from a novel’s title requires recalling which writers are associated with that work. Death Comes for the Archbishop was written by Willa Cather. Published in 1927, the novel follows two French Catholic bishops in New Mexico and uses their experiences to explore faith, cultural encounter, and life on the American frontier. Cather is known for quietly monumental portrayals of frontier communities and a focus on the landscapes that shape people’s lives, which helps place this title with her body of work. The other authors are recognized for different settings and themes: Henry James is famed for psychological realism in urban, European-American contexts; Edith Wharton for social satire of Gilded-Age upper-class life; Kate Chopin for early feminism and regional stories set in Louisiana. Those associations don’t align with this specific novel, making Willa Cather the correct match.