Katherine Anne Porter

by Willene Hendrick

In 1965 Katherine Anne Porter won both a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award for the culmination of her life's work, the Collected Stories. Almost from the beginning of her career in the 1920s, Porter enjoyed the respect of fellow writers and of critics, who admired her disciplined prose and ability to create works that probe the psychological motivations of human behavior within a moral context. A master practitioner within the confines of a distinctly American art form--the short story--and its more continental cousin--the novella--Porter has fascinated readers with her complex and haunting works, including "Pale Horse, Pale Rider," "Flowering Judas," and Ship of Fools. Updating an important study published more than twenty years ago while the elusive Porter was still writing, George and Willene Hendrick now survey her entire body of work. Drawing on significant biographical evidence revealed since Porter's death in 1980, the Hendricks devote special attention to the connections between Porter's art and life, in particular the use of her Southern heritage and fascination with Mexico in her fiction. Although the authors concentrate on the short fiction, they also offer careful analysis of Porter's only novel--the allegorical Ship of Fools--and of her numerous political essays, occasional pieces, and uncompleted projects. "Katherine Anne Porter, Revised Edition" delineates Porter's artistic development and illustrates how her finely wrought stories transcended regional and national boundaries. A Detailed chronology and bibliography are included.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1965