Renowned Authors

Renown Authors

Mr. Gaines writes fictional stories about his experiences in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana. He was born at River Lake Plantation in 1933, and lived in the Cherie Quarters with his family and friends. The Cherie Quarters were cabins for the tenant farmers on River Lake Plantation, then owned by Pervis Cherie Major. The cabins were named after Mr. Major. Lined up along a long road behind the residence at River Lake Plantation, these same cabins were previously used as slave quarters until the end of the Civil War. None of the cabins exist at the same site. A few have been moved to the Rural Life Museum in Baton Rouge for preservation.

The history behind River Lake plantation dates back to the original owner, Antoine Decuir, who purchased the large tract of land and built the residence around 1790. Mr. Decuir built the residence as the principal residence for his children, who were gens de couleur libre, free people of color, and their mother Sophie Deslondes, a free woman of color. They all resided there together as a family until Mr. Decuir married Louise Suzanne Beauvais Tanneret in 1823. The plantation remained in the Decuir family until it was sold to the Major family in the 1890s.

Although the cabins are gone and the residents of Cherie Quarters have moved on, the stories remain alive through the words of Mr. Gaines. He has been compared to renown author Ernest Hemingway for his innate ability to tell a story, so real, so heartfelt! Mr. Gaines is internationally recognized and has received numerous prestigious awards for his books. In his early years in San Francisco, CA, Mr. Gaines read poetry which has been preserved on tapes. A documentary, produced by Louisiana Public Broadcasting, lends the opportunity to hear his story in his words. He has had numerous interviews, and remains a writer-in-residence at University of Louisiana at Lafayette. We wish him much success as he continues to share his stories with us!

Mr. Gaines has authored numerous books whose stories are timeless and will remain classic for all time. Some of his books have become films.

Bloodline

In My Father’s House

Catherine Carmier

Of Love and Dust

A Long Day in November (children's book)

A Gathering of Old Men

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman

A Lesson Before Dying

Conversations with Ernest Gaines (edited by John Lowe)

For more informaion about Mr. Gaines, visit the University of Louisiana at Lafayette page which gives a biography of him through 2000:

http://www.louisiana.edu/Academic/LiberalArts/ENGL/Creative/Gaines.htm

What is your favorite Ernest J. Gaines' book or movie?