![]() ![]() The story of Ivy Rowe – from her childhood on Blue Star Mountain to her marriage to Oakley and her relationship with her daughter Joli – is a story like no other. Other Smith novels – like The Devil’s Dream (1992) and Saving Grace (1995) – focus on particular aspects of Appalachian history and culture: the region’s music and its impact on the development of popular country music and the practice of snake handling.īut without a doubt, my enduring Lee Smith favorite is Fair and Tender Ladies (1988). I wrote about this novel in my 1994 book, A Southern Weave of Women: Fiction of the Contemporary South. Foremost among them is her 1983 novel, Oral History, which on its own nearly defines Appalachian literature. Lee Smith changed that – and she did so in two ways.įirst and most obviously, she wrote first-rate novels and stories about southern Appalachia. But in the ’70s and ‘80s, there was precious little literature being published in the mountains. Now it seems somewhat peculiar to speak of an Appalachian Renaissance, for there are so many excellent writers publishing throughout the region. Lee Smith was a key player in the Appalachian Renaissance of the 1970s and 1980s – so it’s fitting that I love her work, too. If you follow StoryWeb closely, you know that I have a soft spot for Appalachian stories. Lee Smith – Appalachian novelist extraordinaire – is one of my all-time favorite writers. ![]()
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