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Padgett Powell

b. 1952

American novelist and short story writer

Novelist Writer Short story
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About Padgett Powell

Born 1952. Padgett Powell is an American novelist, writer and short story.

Padgett Powell (born April 25, 1952, in Gainesville, Florida) is an American novelist in the Southern literary tradition. His debut novel, Edisto, was nominated for the National Book Award and was excerpted in The New Yorker.

Powell has written five more novels β€” including A Woman Named Drown (1987); Edisto Revisited (1996), a sequel to his debut; Mrs. Hollingsworth's Men (2000); The Interrogative Mood: A Novel? (2009); and You & Me (2012), his most recent β€” and three collections of short stories. In addition to The New Yorker, Powell's work has appeared in The Paris Review, Harper's, Grand Street, Oxford American, The New York Times Book Review, and other publications.

Powell is an emeritus professor at the University of Florida, where he began teaching writing in 1976.

Awards and honors 1984 National Book Award, nomination, Edisto 1986 Whiting Award 1987 Rome Fellowship in Literature from The American Academy of Arts and Letters. 2011 James Tait Black Memorial Prize, You & Me

Works Novels Edisto (1984) A Woman Named Drown (1987) Edisto Revisited (1996) Mrs. Hollingsworth's Men (2000; reissued in 2014 as Hologram) The Interrogative Mood: A Novel? (2009) You & Me (2012) Novella

The New Book (2024; from the anthology Blasphemy and Other Ancestors)

Story collections Typical (1991) Aliens of Affection (1998) Cries for Help, Various (2015)

Essay collection Indigo (2021)

Essays "Tangled Up in Indigo," Garden & Gun, April/May 2015 "Tin House" (blog), October 15, 2015

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
University of Houston
Employers
University of Florida
Awards
Rome Prize; James Tait Black Memorial Prize

People in Padgett Powell's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Padgett Powell's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Padgett Powell?

American novelist and short story writer

When was Padgett Powell born?

Padgett Powell was born on 25 April 1952 in Gainesville.

What is Padgett Powell's occupation?

Padgett Powell is a novelist, writer and short story.

What nationality is Padgett Powell?

Padgett Powell is American.

Sources & further reading

Β· Wikipedia: Padgett Powell

Β· Wikidata: Q7123723

Β· DBpedia: Padgett Powell

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Padgett Powell. https://biography.guide/padgett-powell/

MLA: "Padgett Powell." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/padgett-powell/.

Chicago: "Padgett Powell." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/padgett-powell/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 Β· Spot an error? Report a correction.

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