Jesse Stuart Papers

Jesse Stuart—a much celebrated and beloved Appalachian writer—was born in Greenup County, on August 8, 1907. He lived with his wife, Naomi Deane, near Greenup on a tract of land that includes the old tenant farmhouse once rented by his family during his childhood. His one child, Jane Stuart, is also an author. Stuart started writing about life in Appalachia when he was a young boy. He is known for a sensitive portrayal of the Appalachian highlander as a neighbor, relative, and friend. Stuart portrays eastern Kentucky as a land of highland traditions that enable mountain people to take pride in their heritage. In his fiction, life in the mountains generates an intense loyalty to one's family and one's country. He was the author of more than 500 volumes, including novels, more than 450 short stories, collections of his 2100 poems, and a book about his recovery from a severe heart attack. Stuart's poetry won early acclaim in receiving the prestigious Guggenheim Award in 1937. Later awards, both that from the Academy of Arts and Sciences (1941) and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Award (1943), praised both his poetry and prose works. He was designated a Poet Laureate of the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1954. "The World of Jesse Stuart" was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in Poetry in 1975. He also won the $10,000 Academy of American Poets Award and a special award from Berea College. In 1976, Stuart received the first "Outstanding Kentuckian Award" from the Kentucky Council of Teachers of English. The highest acclaim, and perhaps the most meaningful, came through the remarkable public demand for his books. Out of all his honors he was proudest of an eight foot tall monument placed in front of the Greenup County Courthouse in his honor. Near his seventieth birthday Stuart had a stroke that paralyzed his left side. In 1981, he received the Governor's Medal for Distinguished Public Service. Stuart died February 17, 1984, at the age of seventy-six.   He is still remembered as "one of the most celebrated and beloved of the Appalachian writers." Information obtained from the Courier Journal's February 19 and February 21, 1984 issues.