Shirley Seifert (May 22, 1888 – 1971) was an American

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

author. She was best known as the author of ''The Proud Way'' (1953), which tells the story of the courtship between Confederate President

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...

and his second wife,

Varina Howell Varina Anne Banks Howell Davis (May 7, 1826 – October 16, 1906) was the only First Lady of the Confederate States of America, and the longtime second wife of President Jefferson Davis. She moved to a house in Richmond, Virginia, in mid-1 ...

, and ''The Wayfarer'' (1938), which was nominated for a

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

. Seifert was a founding member of the St. Louis Writers Guild and was twice named a "St. Louis Woman of Distinction."

Life

Born in

St. Peters, Missouri St. Peters is a city in St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The 2010 census showed the city's population to be 52,575, tied for 10th place in Missouri with Blue Springs. Interstate 70 passes through the city, providing a major transp ...

on May 22, 1888, Seifert was the older sister of fellow writers Adele and Elizabeth Seifert and majored in classical and modern languages at

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

. After working as a teacher for three years, Seifert took courses in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...

at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Journalism and began writing fiction. Seifert died in 1971 at the age of 83.

Literary career

Seifert wrote several historical novels, many of which are set in the

American South The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

and

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

in the years during and preceding the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Several of her novels were inspired by the lives of real historical figures. Short stories by Seifert have appeared in ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...

'', ''

McCall's ''McCall's'' was a monthly American women's magazine, published by the McCall Corporation, that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small-for ...

'', '' New York Herald-Tribune'', ''

Redbook ''Redbook'' is an American women's magazine that is published by the Hearst Corporation. It is one of the " Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines. It ceased print publication as of January 2019 and now operates an article-comprise ...

'', and '' The American Magazine''.

Bibliography

Novels

*''Land of Tomorrow'' *''The Wayfarer'' (1938) *''River Out of Eden'' (1940) *''Never No More'' *''Three Lives of Elizabeth'' (1952) *''The Proud Way'' (1953) *''Captain Grant'' *''Waters of the Wilderness'' *''The Senator's Lady'' (1967)

Short stories

*"The Girl Who Was Too Good Looking" (1919) *"To-Morrow" (1920)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seifert, Shirley 1888 births 1971 deaths 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers American historical novelists People from St. Peters, Missouri Novelists from Missouri American women historical novelists Washington University in St. Louis alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Journalism & Mass Communication alumni