Harriette Simpson Arnow
Encyclopedia
Harriette Arnow was an American novelist, who lived in Kentucky
and Michigan
. Arnow has been called an expert on the people of the Southern Appalachian Mountains
, but she herself loved cities and spent crucial periods of her life in Cincinnati, and Detroit.
, and grew up in neighboring Pulaski County
. Born one of six siblings to a family that traced its heritage to the Revolutionary War era, both parents were teachers and she was raised to be a teacher.
Arnow wanted to write and to develop her knowledge of the land and geology. She attended Berea College
for two years before transferring to the University of Louisville
. She worked for two years as a teacher in rural Pulaski County, then one of the more remote areas of Appalachia
, before moving to Cincinnati, where in 1935 she published her first works in Esquire
, two short stories—"A Mess of Pork" and "Marigolds and Mules". She used the pseudonym
H.L. Simpson and sent a photo of her brother-in-law to disguise her gender.
, feud
s) to her original work, a much more sedate series of sketches.
From 1934-1939 she lived in Cincinnati and worked for the Federal Writer's Project of the WPA where she met her future husband, Harold B. Arnow, the son of Jewish immigrants, in 1939. They lived briefly in Pulaski County, Harriette again working as a teacher, before settling in a public housing
complex in Detroit, Michigan
in 1944. Her 1949 novel, Hunter's Horn, was a best seller and received considerable critical acclaim, finishing close to William Faulkner
's A Fable in that year's voting for the Pulitzer Prize
.
In 1950 they moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan
. She published her most famous work The Dollmaker in 1954. This novel about a poor Kentucky family forced by economic necessity to move to Detroit reflected her own life, but also reflects the experiences of many Appalachians who migrated from their homes for the promise of better lives in the industrialized North. Told through the eyes of Gertie Nevels, a woman torn from the woods and farmland to move with her children to join her husband living in WWII factory workers' housing in Detroit, it can be seen as a work of feminist fiction. Arnow herself disputed this characterization however, preferring to see it as an individual woman's struggle to survive in a harsh and changing world
Later works included the historical studies Seedtime on the Cumberland and Flowering of the Cumberland. Her last books were the novels The Weedkiller's Daughter, 1970, The Kentucky Trace, 1974, and the memoir Old Burnside, 1977.
She died in 1986, aged 77, at her farm in Washtenaw County, Michigan
. Michigan State University Press
brought out her previously unpublished second novel, Between the Flowers, in 1999, and The Collected Short Stories of Harriette Simpson Arnow in 2005.
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Arnow has been called an expert on the people of the Southern Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
, but she herself loved cities and spent crucial periods of her life in Cincinnati, and Detroit.
Early life and education
She was born as Harriette Louisa Simpson in Monticello,Wayne County, KentuckyWayne County, Kentucky
Wayne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 19,923. Its county seat is Monticello. The county was named for Gen. Anthony Wayne. It is a prohibition or dry county.-History:...
, and grew up in neighboring Pulaski County
Pulaski County, Kentucky
Pulaski County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The population was 63,063 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Somerset6. The county is named for Count Kazimierz Pułaski. Most of the county is a prohibition or dry county...
. Born one of six siblings to a family that traced its heritage to the Revolutionary War era, both parents were teachers and she was raised to be a teacher.
Arnow wanted to write and to develop her knowledge of the land and geology. She attended Berea College
Berea College
Berea College is a liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky , founded in 1855. Current full-time enrollment is 1,514 students...
for two years before transferring to the University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
. She worked for two years as a teacher in rural Pulaski County, then one of the more remote areas of Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
, before moving to Cincinnati, where in 1935 she published her first works in Esquire
Esquire
Esquire is a term of West European origin . Depending on the country, the term has different meanings...
, two short stories—"A Mess of Pork" and "Marigolds and Mules". She used the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
H.L. Simpson and sent a photo of her brother-in-law to disguise her gender.
Career as writer
In 1936 she published her first novel, Mountain Path, basing it on her experiences as a teacher. Under the instructions of her publisher, Arnow added sensational "Appalachian" stereotypical elements (moonshiningMoonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
, feud
Feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight between parties—often groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one party perceives itself to have been attacked, insulted or wronged by another...
s) to her original work, a much more sedate series of sketches.
From 1934-1939 she lived in Cincinnati and worked for the Federal Writer's Project of the WPA where she met her future husband, Harold B. Arnow, the son of Jewish immigrants, in 1939. They lived briefly in Pulaski County, Harriette again working as a teacher, before settling in a public housing
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
complex in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
in 1944. Her 1949 novel, Hunter's Horn, was a best seller and received considerable critical acclaim, finishing close to William Faulkner
William Faulkner
William Cuthbert Faulkner was an American writer from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner worked in a variety of media; he wrote novels, short stories, a play, poetry, essays and screenplays during his career...
's A Fable in that year's voting for the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
.
In 1950 they moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
. She published her most famous work The Dollmaker in 1954. This novel about a poor Kentucky family forced by economic necessity to move to Detroit reflected her own life, but also reflects the experiences of many Appalachians who migrated from their homes for the promise of better lives in the industrialized North. Told through the eyes of Gertie Nevels, a woman torn from the woods and farmland to move with her children to join her husband living in WWII factory workers' housing in Detroit, it can be seen as a work of feminist fiction. Arnow herself disputed this characterization however, preferring to see it as an individual woman's struggle to survive in a harsh and changing world
Later works included the historical studies Seedtime on the Cumberland and Flowering of the Cumberland. Her last books were the novels The Weedkiller's Daughter, 1970, The Kentucky Trace, 1974, and the memoir Old Burnside, 1977.
She died in 1986, aged 77, at her farm in Washtenaw County, Michigan
Washtenaw County, Michigan
Washtenaw County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 344,791. Its county seat is Ann Arbor. The United States Office of Management and Budget defines the county as part of the Detroit–Warren–Flint Combined Statistical Area...
. Michigan State University Press
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
brought out her previously unpublished second novel, Between the Flowers, in 1999, and The Collected Short Stories of Harriette Simpson Arnow in 2005.
External links
- Biography
- Oral History Interview with Harriette Arnow at Oral Histories of the American South
- http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids/mss/southern_appalachian_writers/arnow_harriette/arnow_harriette.htm Harriet Arnow (1908–1996) from the University of North Carolina As Asheville D. Hiden Ramsey Library Special Collections - Southern Appalachian Writers Collection]