Patrick Davis Smith (October 8, 1927 – January 26, 2014) was an American author. His work was nominated seven times for the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

and five times for the

Nobel Prize for Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in t ...

. He was inducted into the

Florida Artists Hall of Fame Florida Artists Hall of Fame recognizes artists who have made significant contributions to art in Florida. It was established by the Florida Legislature in 1986. There is a Florida Artists Hall of Fame Wall on the Plaza Level in the rotunda of the ...

in 1999.

Biography

Born in

D'Lo, Mississippi D'Lo is a town in Simpson County, Mississippi, United States, along the Strong River. The population was 373 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Jackson, Mississippi metropolitan area. The town was featured in ''Life'' magazine for sending ...

, Smith graduated from the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...

in 1947. On August 1, 1948, he married Iris Doty, with whom he remained until his death. He continued his studies until 1959, when he completed his

M.A. A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

Smith worked in public affairs at Hinds Junior College until 1962 and at the

until 1966, when he moved to Florida and took the position of Director of Public Relations at

Brevard Community College Brevard may refer to: People * Aleshia Brevard (1937–2017), American author and actress * Caroline Mays Brevard (1860–1920), American historian * John Brevard, American artist * Joseph Brevard (1760–1821), American soldier and politicia ...

, which became Eastern Florida State College in August 2013. Smith wrote his first novel, ''The River is Home'', when he was 25. It is the story of the Skeeters, a poor family of "river rats" in Mississippi. His next novel was ''Forever Island'', the story of an old

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

struggling against the development of the land where he has lived his whole life. That was followed by ''Allapattah'', another novel of the Seminole culture. Smith's next book, ''Angel City'', is the story of a poor family's struggles after being ensnared in a migrant camp. In 1980, it was made into a

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

movie of the week, starring

Ralph Waite Ralph Waite (June 22, 1928 – February 13, 2014) was an American actor, best known for his lead role as John Walton Sr. on ''The Waltons'' (1972–1981), which he occasionally directed. He later had recurring roles as two other heroic fathers ...

and

Jennifer Jason Leigh Jennifer Jason Leigh (born Jennifer Leigh Morrow; February 5, 1962) is an American actress. She began her career on television during the 1970s before making her film breakthrough in the teen film ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982). She re ...

. Smith's best-known work is '' A Land Remembered'', a multi-generational novel of a family's struggles from pioneers to wealthy tycoons. He died in

Merritt Island Merritt Island is a peninsula, commonly referred to as an island, in Brevard County, Florida, United States, located on the eastern Florida coast, along the Atlantic Ocean. It is also the name of an unincorporated town in the central and sout ...

, Florida, at age 86.

Bibliography

Forever Island (1973)
Angel City: A Novel (1978)
Allapattah (1979)
'' A Land Remembered'' (1984)
The River is Home (1989)
The Beginning: A Novel (1998)
The Last Ride (2000)
In Search of the Russian Bear: An American Writer's Odyssey in the Former Soviet Union (2001)
The Seas That Mourn (2003)
A White Deer and Other Stories (2007)

References

External links

Official website

Profile
at olemiss.edu {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Patrick D. 1927 births 2014 deaths 20th-century American novelists University of Mississippi alumni Novelists from Florida Novelists from Mississippi People from Simpson County, Mississippi American male novelists Eastern Florida State College people People from Merritt Island, Florida 20th-century American male writers