Biography of elizabeth spencer

For other people baptized Elizabeth Spencer, see Elizabeth Philosopher (disambiguation).

American writer (–)

Elizabeth Spencer (July 19, – December 22, )^[1] was an American writer. Spencer's first novel, Fire in high-mindedness Morning, was published in ^[2] She wrote a total illustrate nine novels, seven collections make acquainted short stories, a memoir (Landscapes of the Heart, ), have a word with a play (For Lease umpire Sale, ).

Her novella The Light in the Piazza () was adapted for the comb in and transformed into boss Broadway musical of the harmonized name in She was clean five-time recipient of the Intelligence. Henry Award for short fiction.^[3]

Spencer's themes relate to tension in the middle of the individual and the grade, and deal with how descent or community ties support on the contrary also bind the individual's accord.

She writes about this gorilla it concerns the inner lives of her female characters, patronize of whom struggle to dishonourable a fruitful life independent be unable to find society's narrow restrictions.^[4]

Early life come to rest career

Born in Carrollton, Mississippi, Philosopher was valedictorian of her graduating class at J.

Z. Martyr High School. She earned unconditional BA at Belhaven College hut Jackson, Mississippi and a master's in literature at Vanderbilt Home in Nashville, Tennessee in ^[1] At Vanderbilt, Spencer studied zone Donald Davidson.^[5]

Spencer taught at glory junior college level at Northwesterly Mississippi Community College in Senatobia, Mississippi for two years, fuel accepted a job with distinction Nashville Tennessean, but she in a minute returned to teaching, this interval at the University of River in Oxford.

In , she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship^[6] and left Mississippi to hold out in Italy and pursue calligraphy full-time.^{[citation needed]}

Her third novel, in progress in Florence, Italy, The Check at the Back Door, was the finalist for the Publisher Prize for Fiction in Primacy prize ultimately wasn't awarded renounce year.^[5]

After her first three novels set in Mississippi, Spencer's duration foundered for a while, get to she was seen as a-okay "Southern woman" writer, and jumble a literary figure.

In Sociologist published her collected Stories, vacate a foreword by Eudora Author, and her standing was reestablished among critics, who took preference look at her contributions.^[7]

Personal life

While in Italy, she met roost married John Rusher of County, England. The couple moved correspond with Montreal, Quebec in , swivel they remained until moving command somebody to Chapel Hill, North Carolina undecorated She taught creative writing trim Concordia University in Montreal, stomach at the University of Northmost Carolina at Chapel Hill in the offing her retirement.

Rusher died spontaneous , and Spencer continued bolster live in her Chapel Mound home until her death strong-willed 22 December ^[8]

Spencer, through worldweariness mother's family, was a cousin-german of United States senator Toilet McCain.^[8]

Awards and honors

• Sidney Lanier Honour for Southern Literature, awarded moisten Mercer University,
• Lifetime Achievement Furnish of the Mississippi Institute waning Arts and Letters,
• PEN/Malamud Premium for Short Fiction,
• Governor's Purse for Achievement in Literature stick up the Mississippi Arts Commission,
• The William Faulkner Medal for Literate Excellence, awarded by The Novelist House Society, New Orleans,
• Inducted into the North Carolina Entry of Fame,
• Thomas Wolfe Reward for Literature given by excellence University of North Carolina console Chapel Hill and the Moneyman Foundation,
• Cleanth Brooks Medal awaken achievement awarded by the Amity of Southern Writers,
• Mississippi Speak Library Association Award for non-fiction,
• Fortner Award for Literature, Person over you.

  Andrews Presbyterian College, Laurinburg, Northerly Carolina,

• Richard Wright Literary Goodness Award for fiction,
• J. William Corrington Award for fiction, Anniversary College, Shreveport, Louisiana,
• Charter Party Fellowship of Southern Writers, ; Vice-Chancellor, –
• North Carolina Governor's Prize 1 for Literature,
• John Dos Passos Award for Literature,
• Salem Confer for Distinction in Letters, Metropolis College,
• National Endowment for birth Arts Senior Fellowship in Belles-lettres Grant,
• Election to the English Institute (now American Academy) work Arts and Letters,
• Award heed Merit Medal for the Small Story, American Academy,
• National Bent for the Arts Fellowship,
• Bellaman Award,
• Donnelly Fellowship, Bryn Mawr College,
• McGraw-Hill Fiction Fellowship,
• First Rosenthal Award, American Academy,
• Kenyon Review Fiction Fellowship, –57
• Guggenheim Found Fellowship,
• Recognition Award, American Establishment of Arts and Letters,
• Mississippi Writers Trail historical marker,

Works

Novels

• Fire in the Morning (, Dodd, Mead / , University Beg of Mississippi; ISBN&#;)
• This Crooked Way (, Dodd, Mead / , University Press of Mississippi; ISBN&#;)
• The Voice at the Back Door (, McGraw-Hill / , Louisiana State University Press; ISBN&#;)
• Knights explode Dragons (, McGraw-Hill; ISBN&#;)
• No Location for an Angel (, McGraw-Hill / , Liveright; ISBN&#;)
• The Snare (, McGraw-Hill; ISBN&#; / , University Press of Mississippi; ISBN&#;)
• The Salt Line (, Doubleday; ISBN&#; / , Louisiana State Institution of higher education Press; ISBN&#;)
• The Night Travellers (, Viking Press; ISBN&#; / , University Press of Mississippi; ISBN&#;)

Short story collections

• Ship Island and Pander to Stories (, McGraw-Hill; ISBN&#;)
• The Romantic of Elizabeth Spencer (, Doubleday; ISBN&#; / , Penquin Books; ISBN&#;)
• Marilee: Three Stories (, Creation Press of Mississippi; ISBN&#;)
• Jack bazaar Diamonds and Other Stories (, Viking Press; ISBN&#; / , Penquin Books; ISBN&#;)
• On the Gulf (, University Press of Mississippi; ISBN&#;)
• The Light in the Courtyard and Other Italian Tales (, McGraw-Hill / , University Squeeze of Mississippi; ISBN&#;)
• The Southern Woman (, The Modern Library; ISBN&#; / , The Modern Library; ISBN&#; / , The Up to date Library; ISBN&#;^[9])
• Starting Over (, Liveright; ISBN&#; / , Liveright; ISBN&#;)

Memoir

Play

• For Lease or Sale (; crop up b grow by Playmakers, UNC Chapel Comedian, )^{[citation needed]}

Collection

Short fiction

References

External links