Flannery (Mary) O'Connor was a young woman with a
morbid curiosity. This curiosity is what helped her become such a greater
writer during her time.
She was born in Savannah, Georgia on March 25, 1925.
She lived a very happy life with two wonderful parents who worked very
hard for everything they had. Her father was a realtor owner and later
worked for Dixie Construction Company. Several years later he took a job
as a real estate appraiser for the Federal Housing Administration in Atlanta.
Flannery's mother stayed at home in order to give her the best at home
life possible.
Flannery lived the majoriy of her life in Milledgeville,
Georgia on the family's farm. She went to grammar school at St. Vincent
and Sacred Heart Parochral, but didn't enjoy school much until her high
school years. After high school (1942-45), she went to Georgia State College
for Women. Flannery was an intellegent student and was enrolled in an accelareted
three year program. During those years she involved herself in many activities.
These activities focused mainly around her passion, writing. She was part
of the yearbook, newspaper, and editor of the Englis literary magazine
at the college. She graduated in 1945 with a bachelor's of arts in social
science. O'Connor deceided to further extend her education by going to
the University of Iowa. There she began to attend writer's workshops and
wrote the first of her short stories. While at the universtiy, she wrote
her first novel, Wise Blood. This novel took five years
to complete, but she was very pleased with the finished product.
In December of 1950 her life changed dramatically.
She suffered her first attack from lupus, the disease that her father had
died from years before. She was forced to return home to Milledgeville
to get help from her mother. Even though she was ill, she continued to
write three hours a day and occassionally lectured to colleges in the South
about writing. Her life was cut short due to the disease; she died on August
3, 1964, of lupus at the age of 39. Today she is honored as distinguished
graduate from Georgia State as well as a wonderful author.
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