Georgia author often shocked readers with violent endings

Editor’s note: The following story is part of a feature called Home Grown in which we take a look at the people and products that have made a name for themselves well beyond our Middle Georgia borders.

Flannery O’Connor’s writing grabs you by the lapels and shakes you.

Her distinctive stories, set in the South, many with religious themes, can begin in the simplest of ways — riding on a public bus or a family headed on vacation. The narrative is straightforward with frequent hints of foreshadowing until a climax that’s often shocking and violent.

“Her characters are recognizable misfits and sinners in whom we see ourselves,” said Sarah Gordon, who taught courses on O’Connor for years at Georgia College. “Readers of all stripes throughout the world are drawn to her writing, its humor and its grace. She is one of the great American writers.”

Her first novel, “Wise Blood,” was made into a movie in 1979, and much of it was filmed in Macon.

O’Connor died of lupus in 1964 at age 39. Andalusia, the family farm located in Milledgeville, is open to the public.

This story was originally published November 11, 2016 at 4:58 PM with the headline "Georgia author often shocked readers with violent endings."