James Agee

author

American^[1] b. 27 November 1909, Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.^[1,2] d. 16 May 1955, New York, New York^[1,2] active 1930–1955

James Rufus Agee (1909–1955) was an American novelist, journalist, poet, screenwriter, and influential film critic. Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, he became one of the most prominent voices in American film criticism during the 1930s and 1940s, writing for publications like Time and The Nation. Agee is best known for his literary contributions, including 'Let Us Now Praise Famous Men' (co-authored with Walker Evans) and his posthumously published autobiographical novel 'A Death in the Family', which won the Pulitzer Prize in fiction in 1958. His writing was noted for its intellectual rigor and aesthetic standards. He also collaborated on several documentary films, including 'The Quiet One' and 'In the Street'.^[1,2,3]

• film criticism
• Great Depression
• autobiography
• documentary film