Florence M. Turcotte – författare

Exploring the rich, enduring companionship shared by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and Julia Scribner Bigham through never-before-published letters, Marge and Julia provides a revelatory depiction of these two literary women’s experiences in mid-twentieth-century America.Pulitzer Prize–winning author Rawlings was first introduced to Julia Scribner (later Bigham), daughter of publishing magnate Charles Scribner III, shortly after the legendary House of Scribner published The Yearling to runaway success. Though Julia’s New York City life was far removed from the rural world of Cross Creek, the two women remained close until Rawlings’s death in 1953, after which Scribner Bigham served as Rawlings’s literary executor. In this documentary edition of 211 of their letters, Rawlings’s and Bigham’s perspectives on the world are woven through over a decade of intimate discussion and advice about relationships, motherhood, mental health, politics, art, and literature.Supplementing the letters with an introduction, explanatory footnotes, and a reminiscence by Scribner Bigham’s eldest daughter, Hildreth Scribner Bigham, MD, this edition provides historical context and prompts readers to inspect the facets of both women’s complex relationship with issues such as racial discrimination, class, and gender inequality. These letters offer an unprecedented performance of two women’s intimate friendship, one that transcended the limitations of patriarchy as they wrote their lives in letters.

Florida Historical Society Rembert Patrick Award

The rich friendship of tworemarkable women talking to each other in letters

 

Exploringthe rich, enduring companionship shared by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and JuliaScribner Bigham through never-before-published letters, Marge and Julia provides a revelatory depiction of these twoliterary women’s experiences in mid-twentieth-century America. 

           

 

Pulitzer Prize–winning authorRawlings was first introduced to Julia Scribner (later Bigham), daughter ofpublishing magnate Charles Scribner III, shortly after the legendary Scribner House published The Yearling torunaway success. Though Julia’s New York City life was far removed from therural world of Cross Creek, the two women remained close until Rawlings’s deathin 1953, after which Scribner Bigham served as Rawlings’s literary executor. Inthis documentary edition of 211 of their letters, Rawlings’s and Bigham’sperspectives on the world are woven through over a decade of intimatediscussion and advice about relationships, motherhood, mental health, politics,art, and literature.

 

 

Supplementingthe letters with an introduction, explanatory footnotes, and a reminiscence byScribner Bigham’s eldest daughter, Hildreth Julia Bigham McCarthy, MD, this editionprovides historical context and prompts readers to inspect the facets of bothwomen’s complex relationship with issues such as racial discrimination, class,and gender inequality. These letters offer an unprecedented performance of twowomen’s intimate friendship, one that transcended the limitations of patriarchyas they wrote their lives in letters.