James Alan McPherson

Who was James Alan McPherson?

James Alan McPherson (September 16, 1943 – July 27, 2016) was an American essayist and short-story writer. McPherson was born in Savannah, Georgia, on, the second of four children. His father was a master electrician (the first African-American so recognized in Georgia), and his mother (born Mabel Small) was a maid. While McPherson was growing up, his father struggled with alcohol and spent time in jail. In the essay "Going Up To Atlanta," McPherson describes the many odd jobs he took on during this time to help support his mother, brother, and sisters. At the time of his death, McPherson was a professor emeritus of fiction at the Iowa Writers' Workshop. But it was his discovery of the "colored branch" of the public library that changed his life.

When he started reading books, McPherson learned that words, even without pictures, "gave up their secret meanings, spoke of other worlds, made me know that pain was a part of other people's lives.

Historical significance

He was the first African-American writer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and was included among the first group of artists who received a MacArthur Fellowship.