I discovered her in college. I’m surprised we didn’t meet earlier, being that–other than my actual home–I lived in the library stacks. I stalked books, really; grabbing whatever my greedy hands could locate on the shelves, investigating, searching, making friends with the Dewey Decimal system. That said, I find it intriguing that in all my library haunts, Flannery O’Connor 
and I didn’t come to meet until much later, when I took a summer English college course and promptly, promptly, fell in love with her. Nevertheless, that’s how it happened. We read A Good Man is Hard to Find for class and I felt her inspiring me, influencing me, and moving me through her imagery and her language and her ability to knock my very socks off with the brilliant and earth-shattering endings of her stories. A writer after my own literary heart.
Read more about Flannery’s life and background here.
This is my favorite anthology of her short stories, found here.
The text for A Good Man is Hard to Find is located here, in case you’re at work and can’t just run to the store to buy the book mentioned above.
By the way, this a new feature for This Square Peg. Once in a blue moon (I would be specific and say weekly or monthly but ya’ll know me and my delusions of grandeur related to writing regularly), I’ll feature an author that has inspired me, influenced me, intrigued me, and interested me. Because I love you and because I’m a bookworm and I love talking about books and writers. You’re welcome…
This Square Peg. 