Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings focused her literary career on the remote wilderness of rural Florida, a landscape she brought to international prominence through her prose. Her work centered on regional life and rural themes, often utilizing her intimate observations of neighbors and the natural environment of the Big Scrub as a basis for her fiction and autobiographical accounts.
Early Development and Education
Born in Washington, D.C. in 1896, Rawlings displayed an early interest in writing, submitting stories to children's newspaper sections before age sixteen. She won a competition at fifteen for her story, The Reincarnation of Miss Hetty. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1918 with an English degree, she held various editorial roles in New York City, Louisville, and Rochester, writing for publications like the Courier Journal and the Rochester Journal-American.
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In 1928, Rawlings purchased a 72-acre orange grove in Cross Creek, Florida. She became deeply invested in the surrounding wilderness and the lives of local residents, whom she studied to inform her writing. This period of observation provided the material for her subsequent novels and short stories, as she meticulously recorded regional dialects, flora, and fauna in her notebooks.
Literary Career and Acclaim
With the guidance of editor Maxwell Perkins, Rawlings published her first novel, South Moon Under, in 1933. Her most significant commercial and critical success arrived in 1938 with The Yearling, which earned the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1939. Later works included the autobiographical Cross Creek, released in 1942, and her final novel, The Sojourner, published in 1953.
Legal Challenges and Later Life
In 1943, Rawlings was involved in a landmark invasion of privacy lawsuit initiated by her neighbor, Zelma Cason, regarding the portrayal of Cason in Cross Creek. Outside of her Florida writings, Rawlings spent time at a farmhouse in Van Hornesville, New York, to research the setting for her later work. She died in 1953 in St. Augustine and is buried at Antioch Cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 1896, Washington, D.C.
- Died: 1953, St. Augustine
- Education: University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1918
- Notable Work: The Yearling
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction: 1938
- Pulitzer Prize for the Novel: 1939
- Burial Site: Antioch Cemetery
Questions readers ask
What was the inspiration for The Yearling?
The novel was modeled on the family relationships she observed while visiting Calvin and Mary Long at Pat's Island.
Why was Rawlings involved in a lawsuit?
Her neighbor Zelma Cason sued her for invasion of privacy, claiming she was unfairly depicted in the book Cross Creek.
Achievements
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction — 1938
- Pulitzer Prize for the Novel — 1939
- Notable work: The Yearling
- Genres: prose
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