Though Taylor’s vivid and fleet-footed biography is by no means exhaustive, he dispels any perception that Cather is a stale artifact of America’s pioneer past. Cather is a fascinating literary figure whose exceptional life and work spans a highly transitional period of American history. Early December marks 150 years since the birth of American novelist Willa Cather. Could this be the motivation for Benjamin Taylor’s “Chasing Bright Medusas: A Life of Willa Cather”? No doorstop, it’s all of 192 pages; this succinct biography is a terrific introduction to the life and work of the Pulitzer Prize winner. But don’t come...