Alabama literature
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Alabama literature includes the prose fiction, poetry, films and biographies that are set in or created by those from the US state of
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
. This literature officially began emerging from the state circa 1819 with the recognition of the region as a state. Like other forms of literature from the South, Alabama literature often discusses issues of race, stemming from the history of the
slave society Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
,
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 ...
, the Reconstruction era and
Jim Crow laws The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Other areas of the United States were affected by formal and informal policies of segregation as well, but many states outside the Sout ...
, and the
US Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the United ...
. Alabama literature was inspired by the latter's significant campaigns and events in the state, such as the
Montgomery Bus Boycott The Montgomery bus boycott was a political and social protest campaign against the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama. It was a foundational event in the civil rights movement in the United States ...
and
Selma to Montgomery marches The Selma to Montgomery marches were three protest marches, held in 1965, along the 54-mile (87 km) highway from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital of Montgomery. The marches were organized by nonviolent activists to demonstrate the ...
. Some of the most notable pieces of literature from this region include Harper Lee’s novel ''
To Kill A Mockingbird ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a novel by the American author Harper Lee. It was published in 1960 and was instantly successful. In the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' has become ...
'', Winston Groom’s novel ''
Forrest Gump ''Forrest Gump'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth. It is based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom and stars Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson and ...
'', and Fannie Flagg’s novel '' Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe''. The biographies of
Rosa Parks Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an American activist in the civil rights movement best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. The United States Congress has honored her as "the ...
and
Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
are also highly significant.


Statehood and Antebellum period (1819-1861)

From the recognition of Alabama as a state in 1819 to the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, regional literature in this era contained strong themes of
nationalism Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...
and discussions of race centered around slavery and the political unrest in the lead-up to the Civil War. Notable works from this period include a history of the state by Albert J Pickett, epic poetry and essays by
Alexander Beaufort Meek Alexander Beaufort Meek (July 17, 1814 (Columbia, South Carolina) – November 1, 1865 (Columbus, Mississippi) was an American politician, lawyer, judge, and chess player. He also was a writer of historical and literary essays, and poetry. He serv ...
, including one about the Creek leader Red Eagle; humorist stories of the pioneer era by Johnson J Hooper, and
Caroline Lee Hentz Caroline Lee Whiting Hentz (June 1, 1800, Lancaster, Massachusetts – February 11, 1856, Marianna, Florida) was an American novelist and author, most noted for her defenses of slavery and opposition to the abolitionist movement. Her widely read ' ...
.


Modern (late 19th to mid 20th century)

Displaying the conventions of
Modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...
found in literature throughout the Western world, literature in Alabama was also characterized by themes expressed in the South and other parts of the United States. These included issues of race, in response to disfranchisement of most blacks at the turn of the century, passage of Jim Crow laws in the late 19th century to mid-20th century, and the
Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...
of the 1960s. Authors also addressed issues of gender and war, in response to the
First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
and
Second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
World Wars, and the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
.


Fiction

Harper Lee Nelle Harper Lee (April 28, 1926February 19, 2016) was an American novelist best known for her 1960 novel ''To Kill a Mockingbird''. It won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and has become a classic of modern American literature. Lee has received numero ...
's ''
To Kill a Mockingbird ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a novel by the American author Harper Lee. It was published in 1960 and was instantly successful. In the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' has become ...
'' (1960) is widely recognized as the most influential fictional work from Alabama. It continues to be one of the most popular novels in the English language, and has been widely translated. The novel follows the young
Scout Finch Harper Lee's ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' was published in 1960. Instantly successful, widely read in middle and high schools in the United States, it has become a classic of modern American literature, winning the Pulitzer Prize. She wrote the novel ...
, a girl being raised with her brother by their widowed father,
Atticus Finch Atticus Finch is a fictional character in Harper Lee's Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel of 1960, ''To Kill a Mockingbird''. A preliminary version of the character also appears in the novel '' Go Set a Watchman'', written in the mid-1950s but not pub ...
, a lawyer in a small town. The children are often treated as outsiders, leading to them to bond with others on the margin, such as neighbor
Boo Radley Harper Lee's ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' was published in 1960. Instantly successful, widely read in middle and high schools in the United States, it has become a classic of modern American literature, winning the Pulitzer Prize. She wrote the novel ...
. The central conflict of the novel is when Atticus defends a black man accused of rape of a white woman. Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama, in 1926. She was likely influenced by the larger events of this period, but critics believe that material from three specific cases from her youth can be seen in her work. Firstly, the Scottsboro Boys case of 1931 to 1937 in northern Alabama involved eight young black men unjustly accused of rape of a white woman, a 1933 criminal case in Monroeville with significant parallels to the case described in ''To Kill A Mockingbird'', and the confrontation between her father,
Amasa Coleman Lee Amasa Coleman Lee (July 19, 1880 – April 15, 1962) was an American newspaper editor, politician, and lawyer. Family Lee was born in Georgiana, Butler County, Alabama in 1880 to Cader Alexander Lee, a Confederate veteran, and his wife, the ...
(believed to have inspired the character Atticus), and members of the
Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...
outside their house in 1934. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' spent 98 weeks on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list, and in 1961, Lee was awarded the
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 ...
. A
film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...
of the same name premiered in 1962 and won three
Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
. ''
Go Set a Watchman ''Go Set a Watchman'' is a novel written by Harper Lee before her Pulitzer Prize-winning ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' (1960), her only other published novel. Although ''Go Set a Watchman'' was initially promoted as a sequel by its publisher, it i ...
'', a second novel that cast a different perspective on these events, was published in 2015; Lee had had many issues with her health.
Christopher Paul Curtis Christopher Paul Curtis (born May 10, 1953)Judy Levin, Allison Stark Draper, ''Christopher Paul Curtis'' (The Rosen Publishing Group, 2005), , p. 84.  Excerptsat Google Books. Retrieved 2015-07-25. is an American children's book author. His f ...
wrote a
young adult novel Young adult fiction (YA) is a category of fiction written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. While the genre is primarily targeted at adolescents, approximately half of YA readers are adults. The subject matter and genres of YA correlate ...
, '' The Watsons Go To Birmingham'' (1963). It tells the story of young Kenny and his family traveling to Alabama during a critical year of the
Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...
. The novel won an array of awards, including the Newberry Honour Book Award and the Coretta Scott King Honour Book Award for African American Writers. ''
The Keepers of the House ''The Keepers of the House'' is a 1964 novel by Shirley Ann Grau set in rural Alabama. It covers seven generations of the Howland family that lived in the same house and developed a community around themselves. As such, it is a metaphor for the ...
'' (1964), by
Shirley Ann Grau Shirley Ann Grau (July 8, 1929August 3, 2020) was an American writer. Born in New Orleans, she lived part of her childhood in Montgomery, Alabama. Her novels are set primarily in the Deep South and explore issues of race and gender. In 1965 she w ...
, is a novel about Abigail Howland, the head of a family who is ostracized when it is revealed that her grandfather lived for 30 years with a Black mistress and raised three mixed-race children with her. In response to Grau’s writings on interracial marriage, members of the
Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...
attempted to intimidate her by burning a cross in front of her house. ''The Keepers of the House'' won a Pulitzer Prize in 1965. Joe David Brown’s novels were well known for drawing on his life, including his childhood in
Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...
, experience as a journalist, and service in World War II. His most famous work is the novel, '' Addie Pray'' (1971), which follows 11-year-old Addie and Long Boy, the man who might be her father. They travel as two con artists in the South. The novel was adapted as the film '' Paper Moon'', and
Tatum O'Neal Tatum Beatrice O'Neal (born November 5, 1963) is an American actress. She is the youngest person ever to win an Academy Award, winning at age 10 for her performance as Addie Loggins in '' Paper Moon'' (1973) opposite her father, Ryan O'Neal. S ...
as Addie became the youngest person ever to win an Academy Award. His novel, ''Stars in My Crown'' (1947), was adapted into a film of the same name in 1949. Brown based it on his grandfather. Brown also published ''The Freeholder'' in 1949, ''Kings Go Forth'' in 1956, and ''Glimpse of a Stranger'' in 1968. ''South To A Very Old Place'' (1971), was written by Albert Murray, who grew up in
Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...
. ''South To A Very Old Place'' follows the personal pilgrimage of a Black intellectual man and contains highly political discussions of race and its relationship with the United States.   Born in Birmingham, Alabama,
Robert R. McCammon Robert Rick McCammon (born July 17, 1952) is an American novelist from Birmingham, Alabama. One of the influential names in the late 1970s–early 1990s American horror literature boom, by 1991 McCammon had three ''New York Times'' bestsellers (''T ...
is best known for his horror novels and collection of short stories, published between 1978 and 1990. These include ''Baal, Bethany’s Sin, the Night Boat, They Thirst, Mystery Walk, Usher’s Passing, Swan Song, Stinger, The Wolf’s Hour, Blue World,'' and ''Mine''. McCammon also published a '' Boy’s Life'', a ''“sentimental novel in which the good end up happy and the bad unhappy in the young protagonist’s fictional Alabama hometown”.'' ''
Forrest Gump ''Forrest Gump'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth. It is based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom and stars Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson and ...
'' (1986) is a novel by
Winston Groom Winston Francis Groom Jr. (March 23, 1943 – September 17, 2020) was an American novelist and non-fiction writer. He is best known for his novel '' Forrest Gump'' (1986), which became a cultural phenomenon after being adapted as a 1994 film of ...
. He wrote other novels, including ''Shrouds of Glory'' and ''Patriotic Fire'', and several non-fiction works, including biographies of multiple persons in one volume. He was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize for his nonfiction work, ''Conversations with the Enemy''. Groom grew up in
Mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ( ...
, attended the
University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...
, and served as a second lieutenant in Vietnam in 1965.  ''Forrest Gump'' was adapted for film, with a screenplay written by Eric Roth; it was released in 1994 starring
Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
. It grossed more than $670 million globally at the box office and won six Oscars, in addition to numerous other awards. In both forms, the story follows Forrest Gump, an optimistic Alabama man with a below average IQ, throughout his life. He is involved in many significant events in US history, including
the Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
and the
AIDS crisis The AIDS epidemic, caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), found its way to the United States between the 1970s and 1980s, but was first noticed after doctors discovered clusters of Kaposi's sarcoma and pneumocystis pneumonia in homosexu ...
.


Biography

The blind and deaf Helen Keller’s inspirational story is told in her autobiography, '' The Story of My Life'', published in 1903. Recounting her early life in Alabama, the autobiography features some of the most prominent figures in her life, including learning to communicate with Anne Sullivan. Published in 1998, ''The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr'', recounts the life of one of the most notable figures in the
Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...
,
Martin Luther King Jr Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 196 ...
, including his childhood in segregated Alabama. He describes his faith, family, and views on other notable figures of the time, including presidents Kennedy,
Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...
, and
Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
, and other civil rights activists, such as Malcom X. In her autobiography, ''Rosa Parks: My Story'' (1999), written with
Jim Haskins James Haskins (September 19, 1941 – July 6, 2005) was an American author with more than 100 books for both adults and children. Many of his books highlight the achievements of African Americans and cover the history and culture of Africa and ...
,
Rosa Parks Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an American activist in the civil rights movement best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. The United States Congress has honored her as "the ...
tells of being an activist in the Civil Rights Movement. She became known for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated city bus in Montgomery in 1955 and sparking the
Montgomery Bus Boycott The Montgomery bus boycott was a political and social protest campaign against the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama. It was a foundational event in the civil rights movement in the United States ...
, a major campaign in the Movement. Parks also discusses her years afterward as a civil rights activist as well.


Contemporary (mid 20th century to present day)


Fiction

Mary Ward Brown Mary Ward Brown (June 18, 1917 – May 14, 2013) was an American short story writer and memoirist. Her works largely feature Alabama as a setting and have received several awards. Early life Brown was born on June 18, 1917 in Hamburg, Alabama. ...
, recognized as “one of contemporary Southern fiction’s most important writers”, is known for her short story collections, ''Tongues of Flame'' and ''It Wasn’t All Dancing'', that discuss issues of race, class, gender and age. ''Tongues of Flame'', the 1986 collection that includes ''Good-Bye, Cliff, Let Him Live, Disturber of the Peace, and Fruit of the Season,'' was awarded the Pen/ Hemingway Award, the Lillian Smith Award, and the Alabama Library Association Award. Following the publication of ''It Wasn’t All Dancing'', Brown also won the
Harper Lee Award The Harper Lee Award for Alabama's Distinguished Writer of the Year is an annual award recognizing a writer who was born in Alabama or has spent their formative years there. It is named after Harper Lee, whose ''To Kill A Mockingbird'' has sold ove ...
and the Hillsdale Award for Fiction. Fannie Flagg’s much beloved ''
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe ''Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe'' is a 1987 novel by American author Fannie Flagg. Set in Alabama, it weaves together the past and the present through the blossoming friendship between Evelyn Couch, a middle-aged housewife, and N ...
'' was published in 1987. Set in the 1930s, the novel discusses themes of friendship and loyalty through the account of the friendship between the lonely Cleo Threadgoode and the neurotic and fearful Evelyn Couch. The film adaptation, ''
Fried Green Tomatoes ''Fried Green Tomatoes'' is a 1991 American comedy-drama film directed by Jon Avnet and based on Fannie Flagg's 1987 novel ''Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe''. Written by Flagg and Carol Sobieski, and starring Kathy Bates, Jessic ...
'', was released in 1991, the script for which Flagg won the Scripters Award and was nominated for an Academy Award and the Writers Guild of America award. Flagg also authored ''Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!''  and ''A Redbird Christmas''. Anne George’s 1996 novel, ''Murder On A Girls Night Out'', is about a schoolteacher from Alabama, her sister, and the murder investigation that they get drawn into, which is characterized by humorous details. Set in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
in 1963, Sena Jeter Naslund’s 2001 novel, ''Four Spirits'', centers around Stella, a white middle-class young woman who is haunted by the deaths of her family when she was a child. She is overwhelmed by the racially inspired violence in Birmingham, of whites against blacks, including the bombing of a church that year that results in the deaths of four African-American girls. She and a friend become involved in civil rights by working for a night school and teaching black students. John Green’s debut novel, published in 2005, ''
Looking for Alaska ''Looking for Alaska'' is American author John Green‘s debut novel, published in March 2005 by Dutton Juvenile. Based on his time at Indian Springs School, Green wrote the novel as a result of his desire to create meaningful young adult fiction ...
'', is a
young adult novel Young adult fiction (YA) is a category of fiction written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. While the genre is primarily targeted at adolescents, approximately half of YA readers are adults. The subject matter and genres of YA correlate ...
that explores a modern and youthful take on love, loss, and self-discovery. The narrator is Miles, who attends a
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
boarding school, and he recount his friendships with his roommate, the Colonel, and Alaska. He describes their struggles as young people in the 21st century American South. ''Looking for Alaska'' won the
Michael L. Printz Award The Michael L. Printz Award is an American Library Association literary award that annually recognizes the "best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit". It is sponsored by ''Booklist'' magazine; administered by the ALA's y ...
and the Teen’s Top 10 Award, among others. It was adapted as a TV drama
miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...
of the same title in 2019, starring
Kristine Froseth Kristine Froseth (; no, Frøseth; born 21 September 1996) is an American and Norwegian actress and model. She is known for playing Kelly Aldrich in the Netflix series '' The Society'' and Alaska Young in the Hulu series '' Looking for Alaska''. ...
and
Charlie Plummer Charlie Faulkner Plummer is an American actor. Plummer began his career as a child actor in short films before appearing on the television dramas ''Boardwalk Empire'' and ''Granite Flats.'' In 2019, he starred in the Hulu miniseries '' Looking fo ...
. Characterized by themes of religion and interracial love, Joshilyn Jackson’s 2005 novel, ''Gods in Alabama'', centers around Arlene Fleet, who makes three promises to God: that she won’t have sex outside of marriage, tell a lie, or ever come back to Possett, Alabama, with one condition. When this isn’t met, Arlene returns to her hometown with her Black fiance, determined to lie to her family about the nature of their relationship. Jackson returned to Alabama as a setting in her 2017 novel, ''The Almost Sisters'', in which Leia Briggs, pregnant with a biracial baby to a man she doesn’t know, arrives in her grandmother’s town to confront the older woman's secret dementia and her stepsister’s failing marriage. Framed by Native American lore and a love of the natural world, Mary Saums’s mystery novel, ''Thistle and Twigg'' (2007), is set in a sleepy Alabama town. New friends Jane Thistle and Phoebe Twigg discover a corpse on Jane’s eccentric neighbor’s property and uncover the conspiracy surrounding it. Ellen Feldman in her novel, ''Scottsboro''(2008), explores the infamous the Scottsboro Boys case as fiction, through the lens of journalist Alice Whittier. Accused of raping two white women, eight young black men are convicted and sentenced to death in 1931. Alice reports on their various trials and appeals until their case was acquitted by the Supreme Court. She interviews the defendants, and other participants, including Ruby, one of the plaintiff women. In a coming of age story of brotherhood and first love, '' What They Always Tell Us'' (2008), Martin Wilson presents his novel from the alternating perspectives of two brothers in
Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population of 1 ...
, Alabama. Both feel out of place, and while one is desperate to leave, the other falls in love for the first time, and feels more attached to the place. But he knows his homosexuality will never be accepted there. In her Southern Gothic-style 2009 novel, ''The Splendor Falls'', Rosemary Clement-Moore tells the story of a young ballerina who has just suffered an injury that has ended her career. She moves to live with her father’s family in Alabama. There, she finds a town filled with the supernatural and family secrets. Set in the fictional town of Darling, Alabama, Susan Wittig Albert’s 2010 novel, ''The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree'', tells the story of a group of women in their Depression-era town filled with mysteries. The novel also contains Depression-era recipes and advice on stretching resources. ''The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree'' is the first book in the larger series. '' Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald'' was published in 2013 by Therese Anne Fowler. The novel explores the story of
Zelda Fitzgerald Zelda Fitzgerald (; July 24, 1900 – March 10, 1948) was an American novelist, painter, dancer, and socialite. Born in Montgomery, Alabama, she was noted for her beauty and high spirits, and was dubbed by her husband F. Scott Fitzgerald a ...
from when she met her future-husband,
F. Scott Fitzgerald Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age—a term he popularize ...
, in Montgomery, Alabama, and how she became known as ‘the first American flapper’. In the afterword, Fowler emphasizes that ''Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald'' is not an autobiography, but rather a work of fiction based on her life.
Marieke Nijkamp Marieke Nijkamp is a Dutch ''New York Times'' bestselling author of novels for young adults. Personal life Nijkamp was born in Zwolle and raised in Twente, the Netherlands. As a child, she read the Dutch novel ''De brief voor de koning'' by T ...
discusses highly contemporary issues relevant to a young American audience in her 2016 novel, ''This Is Where It Ends'', which follows four teenagers minute- by- minute during a shooting in an Alabama high school. Nijkamp was inspired to write the novel after a high-profile school shooting, and has said that ''"I wanted to understand the human stories of a school shooting. Writing This Is Where It Ends, and, specifically, writing it from four points of view, let me explore those stories."'' Set in 1920s Alabama, Virginia Reeve’s novel, ''Work Like Any Other'' (2016), explores the life of Roscoe Martin, who attempts to save a failing farm by running power lines to it. This installation ultimately results in the death of a man. Roscoe and his wife reflect on the past while he waits for parole from prison. His farm manager, Wilson, a Black man charged as Roscoe’s accomplice, was also convicted and received a harsher sentence.  Set in the 30 years around the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, ''Grace'' (2016) by Natashia Deón relates the haunting and heartbreaking story of a family of women who face extreme suffering under slavery. The novel follows young Naomi on a plantation in Faunsdale, Alabama, who kills her master after being told that her sister will be forced to take her mother’s place in a supervised rape by male slaves for the purpose of breeding. Naomi escapes and takes refuge at a brothel. She escapes from there a few years later, pregnant by a white man. After she gives birth, she is killed by bounty hunters seeking the fugitive slave, but her daughter, Josey, survives. Naomi narrates the story as a ghost, covering her life, death, and her daughter’s equally difficult life. Justice, mercy, and grace are the pillars of their story. In a story of race, and the power of music,
James Kelman James Kelman (born 9 June 1946) is a Scottish novelist, short story writer, playwright and essayist. His novel '' A Disaffection'' was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction in 1989. Kelman won ...
tells about a grieving father and son in his 2016 novel, ''Dirt Road''. Leaving Scotland after the death of their family and traveling through Alabama to explore its music, Mudro learns how to live with his grief.


Biography

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Rick Bragg, recounts his life in his 1991 memoir, ''All Over But The Shoutin’''. The memoir details his childhood in Alabama in significant poverty, facing issues with poor education, and his father’s trauma after the
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
and turn to alcoholism. The matriarch of the Bragg family, Margret Marie Bragg, is presented as the hero-like figure that her sons depended on. Bragg describes his work that culminated in his position at ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
''.   US Congressman
John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...
wrote a graphic autobiography with his aide,
Andrew Aydin Andrew Aydin (born August 25, 1983) is an American comics writer, known as the Digital Director & Policy Advisor to Georgia congressman John Lewis, and co-author, with Lewis, of Lewis' #1 ''New York Times'' bestselling autobiographical graphic no ...
; it is illustrated by graphic artist
Nate Powell Nathan Lee Powell (born 1978) is an American graphic novelist and musician. His 2008 graphic novel ''Swallow Me Whole'' won an Ignatz Award and Eisner Award for Best Original Graphic Novel. He illustrated the ''March'' trilogy, an autobiographical ...
. The ''
March March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Marc ...
'' trilogy tells the life story of Lewis from his childhood in Alabama, to his role in the
civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...
in the 1950s and 60s, and his later political career. The books celebrate the Civil Rights Movement and its legacy, particularly in
Selma Selma may refer to: Places *Selma, Algeria *Selma, Nova Scotia, Canada *Selma, Switzerland, village in the Grisons United States: *Selma, Alabama, city in Dallas County, best known for the Selma to Montgomery marches *Selma, Arkansas *Selma, Cali ...
, Alabama, where Lewis was a member of the
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC, often pronounced ) was the principal channel of student commitment in the United States to the civil rights movement during the 1960s. Emerging in 1960 from the student-led sit-ins at segrega ...
(SNCC). The trilogy was written after
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
was elected as US President. Lewis also discusses the resulting racist backlash, along with issues of police brutality and the emergence of the
Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...
movement. All three of the ''March'' books have the same dedication: to "the past and future children of the movement."
Bryan Stevenson Bryan Stevenson (born November 14, 1959) is an American lawyer, social justice activist, law professor at New York University School of Law, and the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, h ...
, an activist lawyer and founder of the
Equal Justice Initiative The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) is a non-profit organization, based in Montgomery, Alabama, that provides legal representation to prisoners who may have been wrongly convicted of crimes, poor prisoners without effective representation, and othe ...
, tells his story in his 2014 memoir, '' Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption''. The memoir centers around the case of his client,
Walter McMillian Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...
, who was sentenced to death in the 1980s after being charged with the murder of a white woman in Monroeville, Alabama. Stevenson discusses the racial injustices prevalent in the United States and flaws in the justice system, and states that ''“the true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned”.'' Anthony Ray Hinton, a convict sentenced to death, wrote a memoir in collaboration with Lara Love Hardin: ''The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row'' (2018). Hinton, an innocent man, served 30 years on death row in Alabama. This memoir details his struggles in prison, including the deaths of his friends, and the power of imagination.
Bryan Stevenson Bryan Stevenson (born November 14, 1959) is an American lawyer, social justice activist, law professor at New York University School of Law, and the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, h ...
and his team took on Hinton as a client, and won the case 15 years later. Hinton was released in 2015.


Awards and events

The Alabama Library Association launched its "Alabama Author Awards" in 1957 for fiction, nonfiction and poetry; honorees have included
Gail Godwin Gail Godwin (born June 18, 1937) is an American novelist and short story writer. Godwin has written 14 novels, two short story collections, three non-fiction books, and ten libretti. Her primary literary accomplishments are her novels, which have ...
,
Ann Waldron Ann Wood Waldron (December 14, 1924 – July 2, 2010) was an American author who initially focused on writing for children and young adults, then turned to biographies of authors from the South, and ultimately shifted in her late seventies to ...
, and
Kathryn Tucker Windham Kathryn Tucker Windham (née Tucker, June 2, 1918 – June 12, 2011) was an American storyteller, author, photographer, folklorist, and journalist. She was born in Selma, Alabama, and grew up in nearby Thomasville. Tucker got her first writi ...
. The Alabama Writers' Forum began in 1992.


See also

*
List of newspapers in Alabama This is a list of newspapers in Alabama, United States. The first title was produced in 1811, and "by 1850, there were 82 newspapers in Alabama, of which nine were dailies." Daily and nondaily newspapers (currently published) The following are dai ...
*
Southern United States literature Southern United States literature consists of American literature written about the Southern United States or by writers from the region. Literature written about the American South first began during the colonial era, and developed significan ...
*
American literary regionalism American literary regionalism or local color is a style or genre of writing in the United States that gained popularity in the mid to late 19th century into the early 20th century. In this style of writing, which includes both poetry and prose, the ...


References


Bibliography

* * * * * (Includes information about Alabama literature) * William T. Going. ''Essays on Alabama Literature''. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1975. * * (Covers 1819–1919) * Philip Beidler, ed. ''The Art of Fiction in the Heart of Dixie: An Anthology of Alabama Writers''. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1986. * Philip Beidler, ed. ''Many Voices, Many Rooms: A New Anthology of Alabama Writers''. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1998. * ** Chapter: Confederate Period, 1861-1865: Literature, p. 129 ** Chapter: Late 19th Century, 1875-1900: Literature, Language, and Folklore, pp. 209–211 ** Chapter: Early 20th Century, 1901-1945: Literature, Language, and Folklore, pp. 262–265 ** Chapter: Late 20th Century, 1946-1996: Literature, Language, and Folklore, pp. 325–331 * Taylor, Joe, and Tina N. Jones, eds. Belles' Letters: Contemporary Fiction by Alabama Women. Livingston, Ala.: Livingston Press, 1999. * * Lamar, Jay, and Jeanie Thompson, eds. ''The Remembered Gate: Memoirs by Alabama Writers''. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2002. * Don Noble, ed. ''Climbing Mt. Cheaha: Emerging Alabama Writers''. Livingston, Ala.: Livingston Press, 2004. * Walker, Sue Brannan, and J. William Chambers, eds. ''Whatever Remembers Us: An Anthology of Alabama Poetry''. Mobile, Ala.: Negative Capability Press, 2007. * Don Noble, ed. ''A State of Laughter: Comic Fiction from Alabama''. Livingston, Ala.: Livingston Press, 2008.


External links

* * * * * * * {{North American topic, , literature American literature by state
literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...