Doris Betts
Encyclopedia
Doris June Betts is a short story writer, novelist, essayist and Alumni Distinguished Professor Emerita at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
.
She is the author of three short story collections and six novels.
in 1932, the only child of William Elmore and Mary Ellen Waugh. In 1950 she graduated from Statesville High School, and attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
. While an undergraduate student she married then law student Lowry Betts, who later became a district judge in Chatham and Orange Counties, North Carolina
. They have three children. She won the Mademoiselle College Fiction contest during her sophomore year (1953) for the story “Mr. Shawn and Father Scott.”
After working as a newspaper reporter for a number of years, she joined the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1966. She received the UNC Putnam Book Prize in 1954 for her first book, The Gentle Insurrection, three Sir Walter Raleigh Awards (1958, 1965, and 1973) for the best fiction books by a North Carolinian, a Guggenheim Fellowship
in Creative Writing (1958–59), the North Carolina Award and Medal (1975), the Distinguished Service Award for Women (Chi Omega), and the John Dos Passos Award from Longwood College. She has also written articles for professional journals, lectured at writers' conferences, and delivered speeches on major college campuses.
In 1980 she was named a UNC Alumni Distinguished Professor of English. She received the Tanner Award for distinguished undergraduate teaching in 1973 and the Katherine Carmichael Teaching Award in 1980.
"The Ugliest Pilgrim," the most widely printed of her stories, became an Academy Award winner as a short film entitled "Violet," and in 1998 was the basis of a musical that won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. Coinciding with her retirement from teaching, an endowed chair was named in her honor, The Doris Betts Distinguished Professor in Creative Writing. (The first Betts Professor is Pam Durban
, who joined UNC in 2000). Betts has also served as the Chancellor of the Fellowship of Southern Writers.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
.
She is the author of three short story collections and six novels.
Life
Doris Betts was born in Statesville, North CarolinaStatesville, North Carolina
Statesville is a city located in Iredell County, North Carolina, United States and was named an All-America City in 1997 and 2009. The population was 24,633 at the 2010 census...
in 1932, the only child of William Elmore and Mary Ellen Waugh. In 1950 she graduated from Statesville High School, and attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro , also known as UNC Greensboro, is a public university in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States and is a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina system. The university offers more than 100 undergraduate, 61 master's and 26...
. While an undergraduate student she married then law student Lowry Betts, who later became a district judge in Chatham and Orange Counties, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. They have three children. She won the Mademoiselle College Fiction contest during her sophomore year (1953) for the story “Mr. Shawn and Father Scott.”
After working as a newspaper reporter for a number of years, she joined the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1966. She received the UNC Putnam Book Prize in 1954 for her first book, The Gentle Insurrection, three Sir Walter Raleigh Awards (1958, 1965, and 1973) for the best fiction books by a North Carolinian, a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
in Creative Writing (1958–59), the North Carolina Award and Medal (1975), the Distinguished Service Award for Women (Chi Omega), and the John Dos Passos Award from Longwood College. She has also written articles for professional journals, lectured at writers' conferences, and delivered speeches on major college campuses.
In 1980 she was named a UNC Alumni Distinguished Professor of English. She received the Tanner Award for distinguished undergraduate teaching in 1973 and the Katherine Carmichael Teaching Award in 1980.
"The Ugliest Pilgrim," the most widely printed of her stories, became an Academy Award winner as a short film entitled "Violet," and in 1998 was the basis of a musical that won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. Coinciding with her retirement from teaching, an endowed chair was named in her honor, The Doris Betts Distinguished Professor in Creative Writing. (The first Betts Professor is Pam Durban
Pam Durban
Rosa Pam Durban is an American novelist, and short story writer.-Life:She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and from the University of Iowa with an M.F.A. in 1979...
, who joined UNC in 2000). Betts has also served as the Chancellor of the Fellowship of Southern Writers.
Awards
- G.P. Putnam-U.N.C. Booklength Fiction prize, 1954
- Sir Walter Raleigh Best Fiction by Carolinian award, 1957, for Tall Houses in Winter, 1965, for Scarlet Thread
- Guggenheim Fellow 1958
- North Carolina Medal, 1975, for literature
- Parker award, 1982–85, for literary achievement
- John dos Passos award, 1983
- American Academy of Arts and Letters Medal of Merit, 1989, for short story
- Academy award, for Violet.
Short stories
- The Gentle Insurrection (1954)
- The Astronomer and Other Stories (1966)
- Beasts of the Southern Wild and Other Stories (1973)
Novels
- Tall Houses in Winter (1957)
- The Scarlet Thread (1965)
- The River to Pickle Beach (1972)
- Heading West: a novel (1981)
- Souls Raised from the Dead (1994)
- The Sharp Teeth of Love (1998)
External links
- "The big questions: an interview with Doris Betts", Christian Century, Oct 8, 1997 by Dale W Brown