Raymond Andrews | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1934-06-06)June 6, 1934 Plainview, Georgia |
| Died | November 25, 1991(1991-11-25) (aged 57) Athens, Georgia |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Period | 1966–1991 |
| Notable works | Appalachee Red |
| Spouse | Adelheid "Heidi" Wenger (1966-1980) |
| Relatives | George Andrews (father),Benny Andrews (brother) |
Raymond Andrews (June 6, 1934 – November 25, 1991) was anAfrican-American novelist.
Raymond Andrews was born June 6, 1934, inPlainview, Georgia, and grew up in north central Georgia. He was the fourth child ofGeorge Andrews and Viola Andrews, who worked assharecroppers.[1] In total, he had nine siblings.[1] As a child, Andrews and his siblings assisted their parents by working in the local cotton fields and peach orchards.[2]
At age fifteen Andrews moved toAtlanta,Georgia, where he lived at the Butler StreetYMCA with his oldest brother.[2] In Atlanta, Andrews began working as ahospital orderly and attended high school atBooker T. Washington High School.[2][3] Andrews graduated from Washington High School in 1952. Following his graduation, he served four years in theUnited States Air Force.[1] He spent a portion of his service stationed in Korea.[1]
After he finished his tour of duty, Andrews briefly attendedMichigan State University before moving to New York City where he held a variety of jobs.[1] At various times, he worked as an airline agent forKLM Airlines, an air courier, and a proofreader.[1][4] While working with KLM Airlines, Andrews traveled extensively and visited countries such asSwitzerland and theNetherlands.[1]
Andrews' first national publication was in an issue ofSports Illustrated in 1966 and was written about the first time the game of football had ever been played in the Plainview community where he grew up. On his thirty-second birthday, Andrews quit his airline job and decided to focus solely on making a career as a writer.[2] In the early 1970sDial Press began publishing his Muskhogean trilogy about the life of an African American in the south from the end ofWorld War I to the beginning of the 1960s. The trilogy consists of Appalachee Red, Rosiebelle Lee Wildcat Tennessee, andBaby Sweet's.[3]
During the 1970s and 1980s, Andrews hosted writing workshops, worked as a guest lecturer, and published several essays and reviews.[1] He published his memoirThe Last Radio Baby in 1990, and the following year he published the novelJessie and Jesus and Cousin Claire.[1]
Books written by Raymond Andrews have been applauded by numerous critics and other writers. NovelistRichard Bausch described Andrew's writing as having "a smiling generosity of spirit."[3]Appalachee Red received the James Baldwin Prize in 1979.[1]
Andrews married Adelheid "Heidi" Wenger in 1966 in New York City.[1] The couple divorced in 1980.[1]
Andrews died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inAthens, Georgia, on November 25, 1991.[5]
He later wrote about his pain, joy and revelations insegregated Atlanta in the autobiographic "Once Upon a Time in Atlanta". When Andrews committed suicide in 1991, the work could have died with him. But it was picked up byDeKalb College's literary magazine,The Chattahoochee Review...
