Carson McCullers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carson McCullers
|
|
|---|---|
McCullers, photographed by
Carl Van Vechten, 1959 |
|
| Born | Lula Carson Smith February 19, 1917 Columbus, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | September 29, 1967 (aged 50) Nyack, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Education | Columbia University |
| Genre | Southern Gothic |
| Notable works | Novels:
|
| Signature | |
 |
|
Carson McCullers (born February 19, 1917 – died September 29, 1967) was an American writer. She wrote novels, short stories, plays, and poems. Her first novel, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1940), explores how people feel alone and different in a small Southern town. Her other books often have similar ideas and are usually set in the Deep South.
McCullers's writing is often called "Southern Gothic". This means her stories often have a dark, mysterious feel and feature unique characters. Critics say her writing and characters are special because they show feelings that everyone can understand. Many of her stories have been made into plays and movies. For example, her novel The Member of the Wedding (1946) became a very popular play on Broadway in 1950. It tells the story of a young girl's feelings about her brother's wedding.
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Writing
Carson McCullers was born Lula Carson Smith in Columbus, Georgia, in 1917. Her father was a jeweler, and her mother encouraged her talents. From age ten, she took piano lessons. When she was fifteen, her father gave her a typewriter to help her write stories.
After high school, Carson moved to New York City at age 17. She planned to study piano at the Juilliard School of Music. But she lost her money on the subway. So, she decided to work and take night classes instead. She had many different jobs, like being a waitress or walking dogs.
She later got sick with rheumatic fever and went back home to get better. She then decided to focus on writing instead of music. Back in New York, she took writing classes at Columbia University and New York University. In 1936, she published her first story, "Wunderkind." It was about a young music genius who felt unsure of herself.
In 1937, when she was 20, she married Reeves McCullers. He was also a writer. They agreed to take turns working to support each other's writing dreams. Carson's writing career took off, which changed their plans.
A Career Full of Stories
In 1940, at just 23 years old, Carson McCullers finished her first novel, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. This book is a great example of "Southern Gothic" writing. The title came from a poem suggested by her editor.
After finishing The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, McCullers wrote Reflections in a Golden Eye in only two months. She sold this book to Harper's Bazaar magazine. It was published in two parts in 1940.
McCullers was inspired by famous writers like Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy. She published eight books in total. Her most famous ones are The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1940), Reflections in a Golden Eye (1941), and The Member of the Wedding (1946). Her short novel The Ballad of the Sad Café (1951) is about loneliness and love that isn't returned.
The Member of the Wedding became a very popular play. It won an award for the best play of its season. Many people know her books because they were made into movies. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter became a film in 1968. Reflections in a Golden Eye was directed by John Huston and starred Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor. Carson McCullers died just before this movie came out.
Richard Wright, a famous author, reviewed her first novel. He said that McCullers was the first white writer to create Black characters who felt truly real and human. He praised her ability to show both white and Black people with understanding and kindness.
Later Years and Legacy
Carson McCullers lived in New York City and later in Paris after her marriage ended. She was friends with many other famous artists and writers, like W. H. Auden and Truman Capote.
She wrote an autobiography called Illumination and Night Glare. It was not finished when she died, but it was published later in 1999. Her home in South Nyack, New York, where she lived for many years, became a historic landmark in 2006.
Health and Passing
Carson McCullers had many health problems throughout her life. When she was 15, she got rheumatic fever. This led to heart damage and strokes that started when she was young. She spent the last twenty years of her life in Nyack, New York. She passed away on September 29, 1967, at the age of 50, after a brain hemorrhage. She is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery.
What Critics Say About Her Work
McCullers's writing style is often called "Southern Gothic". This is because most of her stories are set in the Southern United States. They feature unusual characters who often feel lonely, but also show moments of deep understanding and kindness. Carson McCullers once said, "Writing, for me, is a search for God."
Her Lasting Impact
Carson McCullers's childhood home in Columbus, Georgia, is now owned by Columbus State University. It is home to the Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians. This center works to keep McCullers's memory alive. It helps new American writers and musicians. It also teaches young people and supports the arts in Georgia and the South. The center has a museum in her childhood home and a large collection of items related to her life and work. It also offers special programs for writers and composers.
Her home in Nyack, New York, is also now part of this center. It holds even more of her writings and belongings. Together, these two houses have the biggest collection of information about Carson McCullers in the world.
A school in Columbus, Georgia, called the Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts, is named after her and another famous person from Columbus, Ma Rainey. Other artists, like Edward Albee and Charles Bukowski, were also inspired by her work.
Carson McCullers's Books
Novels
- The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1940)
- Reflections in a Golden Eye (1941)
- The Member of the Wedding (1946)
- Clock Without Hands (1961)
Other Works
- The Ballad of the Sad Café: The Novels and Stories of Carson McCullers (1951) - This collection includes a short novel and six short stories:
- "Wunderkind" (1936)
- "The Jockey" (1941)
- "Madame Zilensky and the King of Finland" (1941)
- "The Sojourner" (1950)
- "A Domestic Dilemma" (1951)
- "A Tree, a Rock, a Cloud" (1942)
- The Member of the Wedding (1951) - A play based on her novel.
- The Square Root of Wonderful, A Play in Three Acts (1958)
- Sweet as a Pickle and Clean as a Pig (1964) - A collection of poems.
- The Mortgaged Heart (1972) - A collection of writings published after she died.
- Illumination and Night Glare (1999) - Her unfinished autobiography.
- "Sucker" - A short story.
Recordings
- Carson McCullers Reads from The Member of the Wedding and Other of her Works (1958)
See also
In Spanish: Carson McCullers para niños
- Lover, Beloved: Songs from an Evening with Carson McCullers, a 2016 album by American singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega.
