Kantor, MacKinlay (1904-1977), an American author and journalist, won the 1956 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his novel Andersonville (1955). The book deals with the terrible conditions at a Confederate military prison in Georgia during the American Civil War (1861-1865).
In addition to Andersonville, Kantor also wrote several other novels dealing with the Civil War and other wars involving the United States. His Civil War novels include Long Remember (1936) and Arouse and Beware (1936). Valley Forge (1975) takes place during the Revolutionary War in America (1775-1783). Happy Landing (1942) and Glory for Me (1945) have a background of World War II (1939-1945).
Kantor was born on Feb. 4, 1904, in Webster City, Iowa. He was a reporter and columnist for Iowa newspapers for most of the period from 1921 to 1931. Kantor began writing stories as a teenager. His first novel, Diversey (1928), is a crime story about Chicago gangsters. By 1935, Kantor had become a successful freelance writer, contributing stories regularly to several national magazines. Several of his books deal with his Midwestern upbringing, including the autobiography But Look the Morn (1947). Kantor’s other works include the novels The Voice of Bugle Annie (1935) and The Romance of Rosie Ridge (1937) and the story collections Author’s Choice (1944) and Story Teller (1967). Kantor died on Oct. 11, 1977.
