James Hurst
Author of “The Scarlet Ibis”
1922 -
James Hurst
Grew up in North Carolina
 Attended North Carolina State
College
 Served in the Army during WWII

James Hurst
Studied singing at Juilliard School of
Music in New York
 Wanted to be an opera singer
 Went to Italy for additional study
 Abandoned hopes of a music career
 Worked for 34 years at a large bank
in New York

James Hurst
Wrote short stories and plays for
literary magazines
 “The Scarlet Ibis” was published in
July, 1960 in The Atlantic Monthly
 Story has appeared in almost every
high-school literature textbook
series

James Hurst
Today he lives near the farm where
he grew up
 Wrote “The Scarlet Ibis” to examine:

How conflict between Doodle and
Brother relates to war between
brothers in Europe
 How people suffer when others try to
make them over in their own image
