Albert Murray, named one of the American literary scene’s “best-kept secrets” (Maguire 66), was born in Nokomis, Alabama in 1916; the Southern state of Alabama has been a strong influence on his varied literary output, as shown by his affectionate descriptive memoir,
South to a Very Old Place(1971). Murray is a polymath, writer of novels, poetry, a memoir and a biography, as well as cultural critic and informed historian of blues and jazz. The prolific nature of his output in recent years is particularly remarkable, as is his late start as a full-time writer; his literary career did not begin in earnest until 1962, after his retirement from the Air Force. Despite his black Southern heritage, Murray takes an independent stance on the race question and the political posturing of the…
2305 words
Citation: Treby, Marion. "Albert Murray". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 October 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5920, accessed 27 November 2024.]
