Ann Petry

Ann Lane Petry
BornAnn Lane Petry
(1911-10-12)October 12, 1911
Old Saybrook, CT, US
DiedApril 28, 1997(1997-04-28) (aged 88)
Old Saybrook, CT, US
Pen nameArnold Petri
OccupationWriter
LanguageEnglish
EducationPh.G.
Alma materConnecticut College of Pharmacy
Years active1946–71
Notable worksThe Street (1946)
The Narrows (1953)
SpouseGeorge Petry
ChildrenLiz Petry

Literature portal

Ann Petry (October 12, 1908 – April 28, 1997) was an American writer of novels, short stories, children's books and journalism. Her 1946 debut novel The Street became the first novel by an African-American woman to sell more than a million copies.

In 2019, the Library of America published a volume of her work containing The Street as well as her 1953 masterpiece The Narrows and a few shorter pieces of nonfiction.