The publication of the 1936 novel Gone with the Wind secured Margaret Mitchell an immediate place in American literary history, winning both the National Book Award and the 1937 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel. Although she worked as a journalist and screenwriter, this single epic volume remains the definitive achievement of her professional life in the United States.
Early Life and Education
Born in 1900 in Atlanta, Georgia, Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell grew up in a prominent family. Her father, Eugene Muse Mitchell, worked as an attorney, while her mother, Mary Isabel Stephens, was active in Catholic and suffragist circles. Mitchell attended The Westminster Schools and later enrolled at Smith College. During her formative years on Jackson Hill, she gained significant oral history regarding the American Civil War from local Confederate veterans and her grandmother, Annie Stephens.
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Mitchell spent time as a journalist for The Atlanta Journal, an experience that preceded her focus on prose writing. While she produced other works, such as the teen-era novella Lost Laysen and various journalistic pieces that were later collected in book form, Gone with the Wind stands as the only novel she published during her lifetime. The narrative, centered on the Civil War era, brought her substantial recognition within the American literary establishment.
Death and Legacy
Mitchell remained a lifelong resident of Atlanta, where she died in 1949 at the age of 49. Her remains were interred at Oakland Cemetery. In the decades following her death, interest in her early creative output led to the posthumous publication of girlhood writings. In 1994, she was recognized by Georgia Women of Achievement for her contributions to the literary arts.
Fast facts
- Born: 1900, Atlanta
- Died: 1949, Atlanta
- Citizenship: United States
- Education: Smith College, The Westminster Schools
- Notable novel: Gone with the Wind
- Pulitzer Prize for the Novel: 1937
- National Book Award: 1936
- Burial site: Oakland Cemetery
Questions readers ask
Did Margaret Mitchell publish more than one novel?
No, Gone with the Wind was the only novel published during her lifetime.
Where is Margaret Mitchell buried?
She is buried at Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia.
Achievements
- Pulitzer Prize for the Novel — 1937
- Notable work: Gone with the Wind
- Educated at Smith College
- Worked as writer, novelist and screenwriter
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