Josephine Winslow Johnson (June 20, 1910 – February 27, 1990) was an American novelist, poet, and essayist. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1935 at age 24 for her

first novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

, '' Now in November''. To this day she's the youngest person to win the Pulitzer for Fiction. Shortly thereafter, she published ''Winter Orchard'', a collection of short stories that had previously appeared in ''

The Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'', '' Vanity Fair'', ''The St. Louis Review'', and ''

Hound & Horn ''Hound & Horn'', originally subtitled "a Harvard Miscellany", was a literary quarterly founded by Harvard undergrads Lincoln Kirstein and Varian Fry in . At the time, the college's literary magazine '' The Harvard Advocate'' did not accept their ...

''. Of these stories, "Dark" won an

O. Henry Award The O. Henry Award is an annual American award given to short stories of exceptional merit. The award is named after the American short-story writer O. Henry. The ''PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories'' is an annual collection of the year's twenty best ...

in 1934,O. Henry Winners List
/ref> and "John the Six" won an

third prize the following year. Johnson continued writing short stories and won three more O. Henry Awards: for "Alexander to the Park" (1942), "The Glass Pigeon" (1943), and "Night Flight" (1944).

Biography

Johnson was born June 20, 1910, in

Kirkwood, Missouri Kirkwood is an inner-ring western suburb of St. Louis located in St. Louis County, Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 27,540. Founded in 1853, the city is named after James P. Kirkwood, builder of the Pacific Railroad ...

. She attended

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 ...

from 1926 to 1931, but did not earn a degree. She wrote her first novel, ''Now In November'', while living in her mother's attic in

Webster Groves, Missouri Webster Groves is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 22,995 at the 2010 census. The city is home to the main campus of Webster University. Geography Webster Groves is located at ...

. She remained on her farm in Webster Groves and completed ''Winter Orchard'' in 1935. She published four more books before marrying Grant G. Cannon, editor in chief of the ''Farm Quarterly'', in 1942. The couple moved to Iowa City, where she taught at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

for the next three years. They moved to Hamilton County, Ohio in 1947, where she published ''Wildwood''. Johnson had three children: Terence, Ann, and Carol. The Cannons continued to move beyond the advancing urban sprawl of

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, finally settling on the wooded acreage in Clermont County, Ohio, which is the setting of ''The Inland Island''. In 1955, Washington University awarded her an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. She published four more books before her death, from pneumonia, on February 27, 1990, in Batavia, Ohio, at age 79.

Works

* '' Now in November'' (novel, 1934), for which she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize * ''Winter Orchard and Other Stories'' (short stories, 1936) * ''Jordanstown'' (novel, 1937) * ''Year's End'' (poetry, 1939) * ''Paulina Pot'' (children's book, 1939) * ''Wildwood'' (novel, 1947) * ''The Dark Traveler'' (novel, 1963) * ''The Sorcerer's Son and Other Stories'' (short stories, 1965) * ''The Inland Island'' (essays, 1969), with illustrations by Mel Klapholz (republished in 1996 with illustrations by Annie Cannon, the author's daughter) * ''Seven Houses: A Memoir of Time and Places'' (memoir, 1973) * '' The Circle of Seasons'' with Dennis Stock (1974)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Josephine 1910 births 1990 deaths 20th-century American novelists Pulitzer Prize for the Novel winners University of Iowa faculty Washington University in St. Louis alumni People from Hamilton County, Ohio People from Kirkwood, Missouri People from Webster Groves, Missouri Novelists from Missouri Novelists from Ohio American women poets American women novelists Deaths from pneumonia in Ohio Women science writers 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American poets Novelists from Iowa People from Clermont County, Ohio American nature writers American women non-fiction writers