Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892–1950) was a poet and playwright best known for her lyrical poetry. Millay, who was called Vincent by her close friends, grew up fatherless after the age of seven. Her mother believed that women should strive to be independent. She passed this philosophy on to Millay by encouraging her to be self-sufficient and ambitious. Millay's upbringing led her to attend college at Vassar, where she became serious about poetry and theater. In 1922, her play The Harp Weaver received the Pulitzer Prize. She continued to write plays and lyrical poems until her death in 1950.