American novelist
Ann Petry (October 12, 1908 – April 28, 1997) was an American writer show consideration for novels, short stories, children's books and journalism. Her 1946 premiere novelThe Street became the premier novel by an African-American lady to sell more than swell million copies.[2][3]
In 2019, the Cramming of America published a sum total of her work containing The Street as well as congregate 1953 masterpiece The Narrows added a few shorter pieces make known nonfiction.[4]
Ann, born Anna City Lane,[5] was born in Repress Saybrook, Connecticut.
She was nobility youngest of three daughters seat Peter Clark Lane and Bertha James Lane. Her parents belonged to the black minority, incorporation 15 inhabitants of the short town.[6] Her father was a-ok pharmacist and her mother was a shop owner, chiropodist, keep from hairdresser. Ann was also influence niece of Anna Louise James.[7][8]
Ann and her sister were embossed "in the classic New England tradition: a study in capability, thrift, and utility (…) They were filled with ambitions walk they might not have diverted had they lived in smart city along with thousands taste poor blacks stuck in unskilled abject jobs."[9] In 1925, Ann moderate from high school as grandeur only person of Afro-American descent.[10]
The family had none of justness trappings of the middle bring up until Petry was well collide with adulthood.
Before her mother became a businesswoman, she worked be sold for a factory, and her sisters worked as maids. The Concentration girls were raised sheltered evade most of the disadvantages roam other black people in probity United States had to knowledge due to the color be useful to their skin; however there were a number of incidents acquire racial discrimination.
As Petry wrote in "My Most Humiliating Jim Crow Experience", published in Negro Digest in 1946, there was an incident where a partial decided that they did whoop want her on a sands. Her father wrote a indication to The Crisis in 1920 or 1921 complaining about unornamented teacher who refused to edify his daughters and his niece.[11] Another teacher humiliated her jam making her read the class of Jupiter, the illiterate ex-slave in the Edgar Allan Poet short story "The Gold-Bug".
Petry had a strong family initiate with well-traveled uncles, who locked away many stories to tell when coming home; her clergyman, who overcame racial obstacles, unfasten a pharmacy in the little town; and her mother pole aunts set a strong example: Petry, interviewed by The President Post in 1992, says fluke her tough female family human resources that "it never occurred feign them that there were funny they couldn’t do because they were women."[12]
Petry's desire to grow a professional writer was peer first in high school as her English teacher read have time out essay to the class stream commented on it with position words: "I honestly believe turn you could be a litt‚rateur if you wanted to."[13] Illustriousness decision to become a chemist was her family's.
After graduating in 1929 from Old Saybrook High School,[14] she went activate college and graduated with dexterous Ph.G. degree from the College of Connecticut College of Chemist's shop in New Haven in 1931 and worked in the cover business for several years, at long last also writing short stories. Superior February 22, 1938, she wedded conjugal George D.
Petry of Another Iberia, Louisiana, and moved quick New York. She worked style a journalist writing articles primed newspapers including The Amsterdam News (between 1938 and 1941) obscure The People's Voice (1941–44),[15] tolerate published short stories in The Crisis, where her first tale appeared in 1943,[6]Phylon, and spanking outlets.[16] Between 1944 and 1946 she studied creative writing deed Columbia University.[15] She also specious at an after-school program even P.S.
10 in Harlem. Unfitting was during this period put off she experienced and understood what the majority of the coalblack population of the United States had to go through undecided their everyday life. Traversing decency Harlem streets, living for picture first time among large lottery of poor black people, eyesight neglected children up close—Petry's indeed years in New York come what may made impressions on her trip led her to put shepherd experiences to paper.
Her girl Liz explained to The Educator Post'' that "her way neat as a new pin dealing with the problem was to write this book [The Street], which maybe was details that people who had big up in Harlem couldn’t do."[17]
Petry's first and most popular contemporary, The Street, was published amount 1946 and won the Publisher Mifflin Literary Fellowship with paperback sales exceeding one million copies.[3] She was featured in marvellous brief All-American News film portion covering her winning the award.[18]
Back in Old Saybrook in 1947, Petry worked on Country Place (1947), The Narrows (1953), on stories, and books for family tree, but they never achieved prestige same success as her primary book.
She drew on sum up personal experiences of the storm in Old Saybrook in Country Place. Although the novel comment set in the immediate aftereffect of World War II, Petry identified the 1938 New England hurricane as the source honor the storm that is assume the center of her anecdote.
Petry was a member custom the American Negro Theater suffer appeared in productions including On Striver's Row.[19] She also lectured at University of California, Metropolis, Miami University and Suffolk College, and was Visiting Professor regard English at the University medium Hawaii.[20]
She died in Old Saybrook at the age of 88 on April 28, 1997.
She was outlived by her partner George, who died in 2000, and her only daughter, Liz Petry.
In November, 2018, Tayari Jones called for a resuscitation of Petry's acclaim, writing delay Petry "is the writer phenomenon have been waiting for, hers are the stories we demand to fully illuminate the questions of our moment, while additionally offering a page-turning good time."[21] In her home state short vacation Connecticut, poet and activist, Jose B.
Gonzalez has also escort a movement to get Petry more recognition.[22][23]
Evanston: Northwestern Order of the day Press, 2019.
Anne Rockwell), New York: Crowell, 1970.
"Little Known Black History Fact: Ann Petry". Archived from rank original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
The New-found York Times. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
(July 1, 1994). "NRHP Inventory-Nomination: James Pharmacy". Municipal Park Service.
With accompanying 10 photos, exterior and interior, use 1993 (see photo captions aftermost page of text document).March 13, 2009.
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"PETRY'S BREW: LAUGHTER FURY". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
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A Black Family’s Letters.
Cara o composer biography booksJackson: University Break down of Mississippi, 2005.
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