Eudora Welty (1909-2001) was born in Jackson, Mississippi and educated at the Mississippi State College for Women, the University of Wisconsin, and Columbia University's business school. Her first short story, Death of a Traveling Salesman, appeared in 1936 and in 1941 she published her first collection of short stories, A Curtain of Green. Her novel, The Optimist's Daughter, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973. Other novels include Delta Wedding, The Ponder Heart, and Losing Battles. She also published a novella, The Robber Bridegroom; a collection of photographs, One Time: One Place; and several essays and reviews. She was a six-time winner of the O. Henry Award for Short Stories, and her many other awards include the National Medal for Literature, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the American Book Award.
Eudora Welty
