Theodore Pratt: A Florida Writer's Life [Hardcover]

Theodore Pratt (1901-1969) was the author of fifteen books about the Sunshine State, earning him the informal title of “Literary Laureate of Florida.” He portrayed the culture of South Florida from its pioneer days to the middle of the twentieth century, especially in his “Florida Trilogy,” which includes his most famous book,The Barefoot Mailman(1943). He also wrote vividly about the Florida Keys inMercy Island(1941), theEverglades inEscape to Eden(1953), and Chief Osceola in a novel and a play both calledSeminole(1953/1954). Writing in the golden age of Hollywood, his books were made into movies, most notablyThe Incredible Mr. Limpet, a beloved live-action animated comedy starring Don Knotts. Pratt also embraced the paperback revolution of the 1950s along with fellow Florida writer and friend, John D. MacDonald. Additionally, Pratt’s career intersected with such famous Florida figures as Harry Crews, Ernest Hemingway, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Zora Neale Hurston, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, and Burt Reynolds. Taking a lively and nostalgic tour through vintage mid-century Florida, this biography is for fans of the Sunshine State as well as lovers of literature and film.Taylor Hagood is Professor of American Literature at Florida Atlantic University whose books includeFaulkner, Writer of Disability(winner of the C. Hugh Holman Award for Best Book in Southern Studies) andStringbean: The Life and Murder of a Country Music Legend.“…this will satisfy fans of the regional writer.”