Kay Boyle was born to a wealthy family in St. Paul, Minnesota, on February 19, 1902. While a child, she traveled with her parents throughout the United States and Europe. Boyle developed an early appreciation for art, literature, and social values. In her adolescence, Boyle began writing short stories and poems. While still a teenager, Boyle moved to New York City. There she got a job as an assistant to the editor of Broom magazine. Within a short period of time, Boyle's own work began appearing in that publication as well as in Poetry: A Magazine of Verse.

Boyle married a French engineer, a man who shared her dislike for societal conventions and injustice. The couple moved to France, partly because Boyle believed that country was kinder to its leftwing political thinkers and its writers. The couple settled in Paris, where Boyle's literary contacts led to her acquaintance...