Rita Mae Brown

Perhaps the best summation of Rita Mae Brown is that which she gives of herself: "I'm a writer and I'm a woman and I'm from the South and I'm alive." Often categorized as essentially a lesbian or feminist writer, Brown has had to contend with her works being sometimes overshadowed by her politics and hence has not received the scholarly attention she might have otherwise. But the wit and exuberance of her novels, as well as their continued popularity, are testament to Brown's importance as a modern American author. Her first published works were political essays, and by the 1970s she was an…