Cather's story, "The Diamond Mine," almost did not see publication. In his book, Willa Cather: A Literary Life, published in 1987, James Woodress noted that the author's agent "had a little trouble selling it." H. L. Mencken, one of the influential figures in American letters at the time, had considered the story for publication in his collection, The Smart Set, but "he was afraid that the story, which is based on the career of Lillian Nordica, American soprano, would open him to a libel suit," Woodress said. Other publishers had the same concern. The story was eventually published in McClure's magazine in 1916, where, Woodress noted, it was "her last appearance in the magazine she once had edited."

However, many critics did not review the story until 1920 when it was reprinted in Cather's story collection, Youth and the Bright Medusa. At this point, reviewers generally favored the collection...