Lee Smith
Lee Smith, Southwest Virginia’s most beloved writer, has a novella that has just been published, "Blue Marlin." Originally included in an earlier collection of short stories, “News of the Spirit,” Smith has re-worked the original story, “Live Bottomless,” into this novella.
“Blue Marlin” follows Jenny, an adventurous 13-year-old, down to Key West, Florida, for a patched-up family vacation following the discovery of her father’s illicit affair. Jenny confronts the frailty of family life while vying for the attention of actor Tony Curtis and even a role in his movie “Operation Petticoat.” Smith delivers humor and honesty to her flawed characters with genuine Southern dignity.
Smith, a Grundy, Virginia, native, began writing stories at the age of 9 and selling them for a nickel apiece. During her long writing career, she has written 17 works of fiction including “Fair and Tender Ladies”, “Oral History” and, most recently, “Guests on Earth.”
She has received many awards, including the North Carolina Award for Literature and an Academy Award in Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her novel “The Last Girls” was a New York Times bestseller as well as winner of the Southern Book Critics Circle Award.
