Katherine Anne Porter

Porter was a cosmopolitan charmer who didn’t hesitate to embellish her biography (in her imagination she descended from southern gentility rather than her poor Texas farm family). She alternated between the persona of southern belle and the self-assured, experienced artist she was. The twenty-four selections, ranging from a profile as a young teacher in 1916 to a birthday celebration six decades later, reflect her long career. She is at her best in a Wesleyan College panel. While these ‘conversations’ cannot be trusted for biographical research, they provide rewarding insights for students of literature. Library Journal