James Agee

          

           James Agee is a famous novelist, journalist, poet, screenwriter, and film critic. He grew up just a few blocks from where I live now in the Fort Sanders neighborhood on Highland and 15th. 15th street has since been named after him in 1999: James Agee Street. Although he did not live in Knoxville most of his life, James Agee did write of the city. One of his most famous works, the Pulitzer Prize winning novel A Death in the Family, he recalls walking along Gay Street with his father. The novel is based around Agee's father's death which occurred when he was just six years old. After this he attended boarding schools, then Knoxville high school, before studying at Harvard University. Agee worked in New York, writing for magazines and other outlets, until he died in 1955 at the age of 45. I chose James Agee because even among the famous of Knoxville he stands out. Knoxville has plenty of famous actors, singers, military men, and entrepreneurs but of the literary genre Agee is among the few. He documented very hard things going on in his time from the death of his father to Alabama share croppers during the great depression. I also chose Agee because he wasn't held in the esteem he is now until after his death. I think its very important to acknowledge people's legacy's especially if they were realized posthumously. James Agee certainly fits this description. Since his death James Agee's fame has only grown especially here in Knoxville: Fort Sander's proudest.