Julia Peterkin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Julia Peterkin
|
|
|---|---|
Doris Ulmann (left) and Peterkin (right)
|
|
| Born | October 31, 1880 |
| Died | August 10, 1961 (aged 80) |
| Education | Converse University (BA, MA) |
| Occupation | Author |
Julia Peterkin (born October 31, 1880 – died August 10, 1961) was an American writer from South Carolina. In 1929, she won the important Pulitzer Prize for her book Scarlet Sister Mary. She wrote several novels about life in the southern United States, especially focusing on the Gullah people who lived in the Lowcountry region. She was one of the few white authors who wrote about the experiences of African-Americans during her time.
Her Life and Writing Career
Julia Mood was born in Laurens County, South Carolina. Her father was a doctor. She was the third of his four children. Her mother passed away shortly after Julia was born. Later, her father married Janie Brogdon. Janie became the mother of Henry Ashleigh Mood, Julia's half-brother. He also became a doctor.
In 1896, when she was 16, Julia Mood finished her studies at Converse College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She earned her master's degree there just one year later. For a few years, she taught at a public school in Fort Motte, South Carolina. In 1903, she married William George Peterkin. He owned a large cotton farm called Lang Syne. This farm was about 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) near Fort Motte.
Julia Peterkin started writing short stories. She got her ideas from the daily life and management of the farm. People described her as both bold and kind. Peterkin would send strong letters to famous people she didn't know. For example, she wrote to authors Carl Sandburg and H. L. Mencken. She included parts of her writing about the Gullah culture of coastal South Carolina.
She mostly lived on the farm. She invited Sandburg, Mencken, and other well-known people to visit. Sandburg, who lived nearby in North Carolina, did come to visit. Mencken did not visit, but he helped Peterkin find a publisher for her early books. This shows how persuasive her letters were. Eventually, Mencken introduced her to Alfred Knopf. Knopf published her first book, Green Thursday, in 1924.
Besides her novels, her short stories appeared in magazines and newspapers throughout her career. Peterkin was one of the few white writers who focused on the African-American experience.
She won a Pulitzer Prize in 1929 for her novel Scarlet Sister Mary. The book caused some discussion in the South. The public library in Gaffney, South Carolina, decided it was inappropriate and removed it from their shelves. However, The Gaffney Ledger newspaper printed the entire book in parts, like a series.
Peterkin also acted in plays. In February 1932, she played the main character in Ibsen's Hedda Gabler at the Town Theatre in Columbia, South Carolina.
In 1933, Julia Peterkin was contacted by Caroline Pafford Miller from Georgia. Miller wanted help finding a publisher for her first novel, Lamb in His Bosom. Peterkin sent Miller's name and book to her own publisher. In 1933, Harper published Lamb in His Bosom. Miller later won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel in 1934.
Her Legacy
- In 1998, her old college, Converse College, started The Julia Peterkin Award for poetry. This award is open to everyone.
Her Books
- Green Thursday: Stories, New York: Alfred Knopf, 1924.
- Black April, Indianapolis: Bobbs Merrill, 1927.
- Scarlet Sister Mary, Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1928. This book won the Pulitzer Prize. It was also made into a play for Broadway in 1930, starring Ethel Barrymore.
- Bright Skin, Indianapolis: Bobbs Merrill, 1932.
- Roll, Jordan, Roll, New York, R.O. Ballou, 1933. This book included photos of the Gullah people by Doris Ulmann.
- A Plantation Christmas, Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin, 1934.
Julia Peterkin often used the Gullah language in her novels and stories.
Awards She Won
- 1929, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, for her book Scarlet Sister Mary.
See also
- South Carolina literature
