Mary McCarthy

Mary McCarthy (1912–1989) was an American writer and literary, art, and theater critic. She studied literature at Vassar College, worked as a critic, and taught at several universities. Her writing includes novels, realist socially critical essays, and reportage, including pieces opposing American involvement in the Vietnam War. She became particularly well known for her autobiographically based novel *The Group*, about women’s college education. McCarthy was a close friend of Hannah Arendt, and the two maintained an extensive correspondence.