Nationality United States Role Author Occupation Writer Spouse Alfred Oden (m. 1879) | Known for Sonny (1896) Resting place New Orleans Name Ruth Stuart | |
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Born May 21, 1849 ( 1849-05-21 ) Marksville, Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana Other names Mary Routh McEnery Stuart Died 1917, New York City, New York, United States Books Gobolinks: Or Shadow, golden wedding - and other, Aunt Amity's Silver We, The Story of Babette: A Little Cr, George Washington Jones: A Similar People Albert Paine, Sarah Orne Jewett, Frank R Stockton | ||
Ruth McEnery Stuart (1849–1917) was an American author.
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Early life and marriage
She was born Mary Routh McEnery Stuart, child of James and Mary Routh (Stirling) McEnery in Marksville, Louisiana. (She changed the spelling of her name to "Ruth" after she began her career in literature.) Stuart's true date of birth is not known with certainty. In addition to the date shown here in 1849, Stuart's date of birth is also shown as 19 February 1852 on her marriage certificate. When she was three, Stuart moved to New Orleans, Louisiana. Stuart taught school there until she married Arkansas farmer Alfred Oden Stuart on 6 August 1879. Alfred Oden Stuart was a widower with eleven children; he died in 1883 and she returned to New Orleans. Ruth and Alfred Oden Stuart had one son, but he died in 1904 or 1905.
Writing career
Stuart first published in February 1888 in the New Princeton Review. She sold a second story to Harpers New Monthly Magazine shortly thereafter; in the early 1890s she moved to New York City. Stuart was active in her literary career from 1888 until 1917, producing some 75 works. Between 1891-97 she produced "20 books, short stories, sketches, and reprinted verses she had originally published in magazines". She was known not just for her writing, but also for oral performances of her work. Her most famous work is said to be Sonny (1896). She was also occasionally a sub-editor at Harpers.
Stuart has been characterized as belonging to the school of "American local color writing that emphasizes regional characteristics in landscape, way of life, and language." Stuart's treatment of blacks forms a significant portion of her corpus and, if potentially troublesome today, "contemporary critics acclaimed her as providing an authentic representation of African Americans." Her work is said to be of the same school as Kate Chopin.
Stuart's work was appreciated in England. She became a member of the Lyceum Club there in 1904. In 1915 she was granted an honorary Litt.D. in 1915 by [Tulane University]. Also in 1915 a literary club, Ruth McEnery Stuart Clan, was founded and named in her honor.
Stuart died in New York City in 1917 and was buried in New Orleans.