Dorothy Bryant (1930–2017) was an American novelist, playwright, essayist and

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

writer. Bryant was known for her

mystical Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...

and fantastic novels and plays that traverse the space between the real world and her character's inner

psyche Psyche (''Psyché'' in French) is the Greek term for "soul" (ψυχή). Psyche may also refer to: Psychology * Psyche (psychology), the totality of the human mind, conscious and unconscious * ''Psyche'', an 1846 book about the unconscious by Car ...

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

. Her book '' The Kin of Ata Are Waiting for You'' was described by

Alice Walker Alice Malsenior Tallulah-Kate Walker (born February 9, 1944) is an American novelist, short story writer, poet, and social activist. In 1982, she became the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, which she was aw ...

as "One of my favorite books in all the world."

Personal and professional life

Dorothy Bryant was born in San Francisco in 1930, second daughter of Joe and Giuditta Calvetti, both born in Balangero, a factory town near

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

, Italy, and brought to the United States as children. Bryant became the first in her family to graduate from college, and she earned her living teaching (high school and college) until 1976. She began writing in 1960 and published a dozen books of fiction and non-fiction. Her plays have been performed in the Bay Area and beyond.

Works

Fiction

*'' Ella Price's Journal'' (1972, J. B. Lippincott, reprinted 1973 by

Signet Books The New American Library (also known as NAL) is an American publisher based in New York, founded in 1948. Its initial focus was affordable paperback reprints of classics and scholarly works as well as popular and pulp fiction, but it now publishe ...

) *'' The Kin of Ata Are Waiting for You'' (1976) *'' Miss Giardino'' (1976) *'' The Garden of Eros'' (1979) *''Prisoners'' (1980) *'' Killing Wonder'' (1981) *'' A Day in San Francisco'' (1983) *'' Confessions of Madame Psyche'' (1986) (

American Book Award The American Book Award is an American literary award that annually recognizes a set of books and people for "outstanding literary achievement". According to the 2010 awards press release, it is "a writers' award given by other writers" and "the ...

winner 1987) *'' The Test'' (1991) *'' Anita, Anita'' (1994) *'' The Berkeley Pit'' (2007)

Non-fiction

* ''Writing a Novel'' (1983) * ''Myths to Lie By'' (1984) * ''Literary Lynching: When Readers Censor Writers '' (online)

Plays

* ''Dear Master'' (1991) * ''Tea with Mister Hardy'' (1992) * ''The Panel'' (1994) * ''Posting for Gaugain'' (1997) * ''The Trial of Cornelia Connelly'' (2003) * ''Sad But Glorious Days'' (2003) * ''Eros in Love'' (2006)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bryant, Dorothy 1930 births 2017 deaths American feminist writers American women dramatists and playwrights American women essayists American women novelists American women short story writers Writers from the San Francisco Bay Area 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American essayists 21st-century American essayists 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers American writers of Italian descent American Book Award winners