Lee Smith

Linda J. Byrd Cook (Sam Houston State University)
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A gifted fiction writer whose reputation has steadily grown for the past two decades, Lee Smith peoples her stories with real-life characters who struggle for meaning in their lives. Much of her fiction entails experimentation with narrative voice and structure. From the humorous and outrageous to the serious and epiphanic, Smith's work consistently probes the crises of identity that plague so many contemporary Americans, particularly women. Her female characters reflect the complexity and contradiction inherent in a Southern heritage and demonstrate Smith's vision of hope for the future.

Born November 1 1944, in the small coal-mining town of Grundy, Virginia, in the Southwest part of the state, Lee Smith was an only child …

3105 words

Citation: Byrd Cook, Linda J.. "Lee Smith". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 January 2003 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4119, accessed 29 March 2024.]

4119 Lee Smith 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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