James Hurst - Elida Local Schools

James Hurst Author of “The Scarlet Ibis” 1922 -

James Hurst Grew up in North Carolina  Attended North Carolina State College  Served in the Army during WWII 

James Hurst Studied singing at Juilliard School of Music in New York  Wanted to be an opera singer  Went to Italy for additional study  Abandoned hopes of a music career  Worked for 34 years at a large bank in New York 

James Hurst Wrote short stories and plays for literary magazines  “The Scarlet Ibis” was published in July, 1960 in The Atlantic Monthly  Story has appeared in almost every high-school literature textbook series 

James Hurst Today he lives near the farm where he grew up  Wrote “The Scarlet Ibis” to examine: 

How conflict between Doodle and Brother relates to war between brothers in Europe  How people suffer when others try to make them over in their own image 