Caroline Gordon
A sharp-eyed novelist and critic of the American South who dissected its myths and manners while navigating the turbulent literary world of her husband, Allen Tate.
1895–1981 (age 86)·American novelist·Birthday: October 6·The Lost Generation
Biography
Caroline Gordon lived at the white-hot center of 20th-century American letters, both as a creator and a critical force. Born on a Kentucky tobacco farm, she channeled the complex legacy of the South into meticulously crafted novels like *Penhally* and *The Strange Children*. While often grouped with the Southern Agrarians, her work possessed a psychological depth and formal rigor all its own. Her life was a whirlwind of artistic partnerships, most significantly her marriage to poet Allen Tate. Their home became a salon for writers from Ford Madox Ford to Flannery O’Connor, whom Gordon mentored. Juggling the demands of a tumultuous marriage and her own art, she also produced incisive criticism, co-authoring a classic textbook on fiction writing. Gordon’s story is one of a formidable intellect insisting on its place in a literary world dominated by men.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Caroline was born in 1895, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Caroline Was Born
The biggest hits of 1895
Caroline's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1895Born
First public film screening by the Lumiere brothers
President: Grover Cleveland
1900Started school
Boxer Rebellion in China
President: William McKinley
1908Became a teenager
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Could drive
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1913Could vote
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1916Turned 21
The Battle of the Somme claims over a million casualties
President: Woodrow Wilson
1925Turned 30
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
1935Turned 40
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1945Turned 50
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1955Turned 60
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1965Turned 70
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1975Turned 80
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1981Died at 86
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
Key Achievements
- Awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1932 for creative writing.
- Won the O. Henry Award in 1934 for her short story 'The Long Day.'
- Co-authored the influential writing manual *The House of Fiction* with Allen Tate.
- Published nine novels and several short story collections exploring Southern history and identity.
Did You Know?
She converted to Roman Catholicism in 1947, an experience that influenced her later work.
She was a close friend and early mentor to Flannery O’Connor, offering detailed critiques of her writing.
She and Allen Tate were married, divorced, and then remarried to each other.
She taught creative writing at several universities, including the University of California, Davis.
““A good novelist is a doctor who sees only terminal cases.””
