EUDORA WELTY was born in 1909 in Jackson, Mississippi where she still lives today.

On January 25, 1996 the Government of France awarded Miss Welty with THE FRENCH LEGION OF HONOR.

In 1973 she won THE PULITZER PRIZE for her novel THE OPTIMIST DAUGHTER.

In the same year the Governor of Mississippi proclaimed May 2nd Eudora Welty Day. Miss Welty was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1971.

Other novels:

THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM
DELTA WEDDING
THE PONDER HEART
LOSING BATTLES

Short Stories:
A CURTAIN OF GREEN
THE WIDE NET and OTHER STORIES
THE GOLDEN APPLES
THE BRIDE OF INNISFALLEN and OTHER STORIES

 Children's Story
THE SHOE BIRD

Essays and Photography:
ONE TIME ONE PLACE: MISSISSIPPI IN THE DEPRESSION
A SNAPSHOT ALBUM
THE EVE OF THE STORY
THE COMMONWEALTH AWARD for
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE in LITERATURE winner in 1984.

 In 1980, she was awarded THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM.

Her autobiographical ONE WRITER'S BEGINNINGS was on the New York Times non-fiction bestseller list for a year.

During the depression she wrote for the Memphis Commercial Appeal and by the early 1940's she had begun to win recognition for her short stories and novels. She won several O. Henry awards and a GUGGENHEIM FELLOWSHIP.

In 1944 she worked briefly as a staff writer for the New York Times Book Review, where she sometimes published under the pseudonym Michael Ravenna.