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Eudora Alice Welty

ユードラ・ウェルティ

Yūdora Weruti

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1909-04-13 （Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.）
Died
2001-07-23 （Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.） age 92
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Methodist
Residence History
Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. → New York City, U.S.

Career

Occupations
Writer, Short-story writer, Photographer
Active Years
1936-2001
Memberships
Fellowship of Southern Writers, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Fellow)
Influenced By
Katherine Anne Porter, William Faulkner (often discussed in relation)
Influenced
Richard Ford, Ellen Gilchrist, Elizabeth Spencer

Education

Mississippi State College for Women (Mississippi University for Women)
Period: 1925–1927
Country: United States
Transferred to another university to complete studies
University of Wisconsin–Madison
English literature
Degree: BA
Period: 1927–1930（在籍期間は概算）
Country: United States
Studied English literature
Columbia University
Advertising (studies)
Degree: MA
Period: 1930年代（在籍年は資料により分散）
Country: United States
Studied advertising at her father's suggestion

Awards

O. Henry Award
1941
Work: A Worn Path
Organization: O. Henry Award committee
Result: second place
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
1973
Work: The Optimist's Daughter
Category: フィクション
Organization: Pulitzer Prize Board
Result: winner
Edward MacDowell Medal
1970
Organization: MacDowell
Result: recipient
Presidential Medal of Freedom
1980
Organization: Office of the President of the United States
Result: recipient
National Book Award (paperback)
1983
Work: The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty (paperback edition)
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: winner
Rea Award for the Short Story
1992
Category: 生涯功績
Organization: Rea Award
Result: recipient
Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur
1996
Organization: Government of France
Result: recipient
America Award in Literature
2000
Category: 生涯功績
Organization: America Award
Result: recipient

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Optimist's Daughter

1972 Novel

A compact novel focusing on family, grief and reconciliation as a daughter confronts changes after her father's death.

FamilyLossReconciliationSouthern society

A Curtain of Green

1941 Short-story collection

Welty's first collection of short stories, containing notable pieces such as "Why I Live at the P.O." and "A Worn Path."

CommunityIdentityHumor and pathos

Delta Wedding

1946 Novel

A family novel set in the Mississippi Delta exploring land, femininity, and tradition.

PlaceFemininityTradition

The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty

1980 Collected short stories

A definitive collection of Welty's short fiction covering the major themes and techniques of her work.

MemoryPlaceMythic motifs

Bibliography

  • A Curtain of Green (1941)
  • The Robber Bridegroom (1942)
  • Delta Wedding (1946)
  • The Ponder Heart (1954)
  • The Shoe Bird (1964)
  • Losing Battles (1970)
  • The Optimist's Daughter (1972)
  • The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty (1980)
  • One Writer's Beginnings (1983)
  • One Time, One Place (photographs, 1971)

Adaptations

  • The Robber Bridegroom (novella → musical)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Precise, observant proseCombination of Southern regionalism and symbolismRestrained emotional expression
Recurring Motifs
Importance of place (home/landscape)Complexities of family and communityMythic and symbolic motifs (phoenix, apples, etc.)

Legacy

Eudora Welty is a leading figure of 20th-century American Southern literature, known for delicate portrayals of place, memory and family. Her many honors, publications in the Library of America while alive, and preservation of her Jackson home have secured her lasting literary legacy.

Museums

  • Eudora Welty House and Garden 1119 Pinehurst Street, Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. Opened in 1980

Academic Societies

  • Fellowship of Southern Writers (charter member)
  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Fellow)

Archives

  • Eudora Welty Small Manuscripts Collection (University of Mississippi)
  • Eudora Welty Foundation archives

In Popular Culture

  • The e-mail client 'Eudora' was named after Welty's story 'Why I Live at the P.O.'
  • Mississippi established 'Eudora Welty Day' (May 2)

Quotes

  • "Any room in our house, at any time in the day, was there to read in, or to be read to."
    Source: One Writer's Beginnings (1984)

Trivia

  • One of the first living authors to have works published by the Library of America.
  • The e-mail client 'Eudora' was named after Welty's short story and she was reportedly amused by the tribute.
  • Her headstone bears a quote from The Optimist's Daughter.