Winner of the prestigious United States National Book Award for Fiction, In America is a novel by Susan Sontag published in 1999. The story centers around the famous real-life Polish actress Helena Modjeska and her life and acting career starting from her first scenes since coming to America.
Sontag talks about Modjeska's journey to America and how she came to California in 1876 as part of a group of Poles to form a utopian commune. However, when the commune fails, Modjeska was forced to learn English and look for jobs in the local area, eventually settling on acting, which she becomes a star in. She eventually becomes known for her roles in Shakespearean tragedies, playing each character with perfect resonance.
In America was mostly well-received by critics, praised for its creativity and narrative lyricism. As well as the US National Book Award, it also received positive reviews from prominent journals such as The New York Times, & Publishers Weekly.
