Eugenia Price
Eugenia Price was an American author born on June 22, 1916, in Charleston, West Virginia. Initially pursuing a career in dentistry, she shifted her focus to writing, working in radio and television before becoming an inspirational writer in the early 1950s. Price's conversion to Christianity in 1949 influenced her writing, leading her to publish several books that emphasized Biblical teachings. In 1961, she discovered her passion for historical biographies while visiting St. Simon's Island, Georgia, which later became her home. This new genre evolved into historical romances, blending Southern history, particularly from the Civil War and antebellum periods, with engaging narratives about everyday people. Her notable works include "The Beloved Invader," "New Moon Rising," and "Lighthouse," which together comprise the St. Simons trilogy. Price's contributions to literature have left a lasting legacy, with many of her books remaining in print and attracting a global readership. She passed away on May 28, 1996, and is buried in Christ Church cemetery, where her journey as a writer began to flourish.
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Eugenia Price
Author
- Born: June 22, 1916
- Birthplace: Charleston, West Virginia
- Died: May 28, 1996
- Place of death: Brunswick, Georgia
Biography
Eugenia Price was born in Charleston, West Virginia, on June 22, 1916, the daughter of Walter and Anna Price. Although drawn to writing from the time she was a child, Price decided to pursue a career in dentistry, her father’s profession. In 1932 she graduated from high school and enrolled at Ohio University. She studied there for three years and then started her studies in 1935 at the Northwestern School of Dentistry, where she was the only woman admitted that year. Price was reared in the Methodist Church, but she moved away from religious belief before she left high school and by the time she was in college openly expressed her atheism.
She eventually abandoned her dental studies and from 1939 to the early 1950’s worked in radio and television. In 1949 she converted once again to Christianity. Shortly thereafter, she became the writer, producer, and director of the WGN Radio serial Unshackled. As a result of the show’s popularity, she spent several years on the lecture circuit in the United States and Canada.
In 1953 she began yet another career as an inspirational writer with the publication of Discoveries Made from Living My New Life. She published several more books advocating a life based on Biblical teaching. In 1961 she ventured into a new genre of writing. On a trip to a bookseller’s convention, she and a colleague stopped on a whim to visit St. Simon’s Island, Georgia. There in Christ Church cemetery as she read the grave stones, she discovered her new writing interest which she called historical biographies. The works are now usually classified as historical romances. Set in the South, these novels combine the history of the Civil War and antebellum periods with story lines recounting the lives and loves of average people who lived during the time. Her first historical romance, The Beloved Invader (1965). was based upon the life of an Episcopal priest, the Reverend Anson Dodge.
Fascinated with St. Simon’s Island, Price eventually left Chicago and made the island her permanent home. She published two more novels, New Moon Rising (1969) and Lighthouse (971), which along with The Beloved Invader became the St. Simons trilogy. She also wrote a series of four novels set in Savannah, Georgia, that deal with the issue of slavery as well as recounting a love story. Price died on May 28, 1996, in Brunswick, Georgia, due to congestive heart failure. She is buried in Christ Church cemetery, and Boston University is now the repository of her manuscripts. Although she was well known for her inspirational works based upon her Christian faith, it was her historical romances that brought her the widest audience. Many of her books are still in print and continue to attract an international readership.