Julia Peterkin

Who was Julia Peterkin?

Julia Peterkin lived from October 31, 1880 to August 10, 1961. In 1929 she won a Pulitzer Prize for her novel Scarlet Sister Mary. Julia Mood was born in Laurens County, South Carolina. Her father was a physician, and she was the third of his four children. Her mother died soon after her birth, and her father later married Janie Brogdon. Janie was the mother of Henry Ashleigh Mood, Julia's half-brother and her father's fourth child. In 1896, at age 16, Julia Mood graduated from Converse College in Spartanburg, South Carolina; she earned her master's degree there a year later. Julia Peterkin (October 31, 1880 – August 10, 1961) was an American author from South Carolina, who advocated for African Americans and wrote about the portrayals of the southern life. She wrote several novels about the plantation South, especially the Gullah people of the Low country.

As a white author, she developed a unique perspective on the African American lifestyle during her time.

Historical significance

She was one of the few white authors who wrote about the African-American experience. She collaborated with photographer Doris Ulmann on Roll, Jordan, Roll.