Katherine Anne Porter

Katherine Anne Porter 18901980 was an American journalist essayist short story writer novelist and political activist Her only novel Ship of Fools 1962 based on her reminiscences of a 1931 ocean cruise she had taken from Mexico to Germany was the bestselling novel in America of the year though her short stories received even more critical acclaim in 1966 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the US National Book Award for The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter That year she was also appointed to the American Academy of Arts and Letters During the 1930s 1940s and 1950s Porter enjoyed a prominent reputation as one of Americas most distinguished writers but her limited output and equallylimited sales had her living on grants and advances for most of the era