Kristin Hunter Lattany was born on September 12, 1931 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She studied education at the University of Pennsylvania. Her first novel, God Bless the Child, was published in 1964 and won the Philadelphia Athenaeum award. Like the majority of her work, it depicts race relations in the United States. Lattany wrote her first children’s book, The Soul Brothers and Sister Lou (1968), at the suggestion of her publishers. It was praised for providing a relatable view of black culture and won the Lewis Carroll Shelf award in 1971. She also wrote a sequel called Lou in the Limelight (1981). Her collection of short stories, Guests in the Promised Land (1973), was a finalist for the National Book Award. She taught English and creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania from 1972 to 1995 and was honored with the Chisolm award from the Philadelphia Congress of the National Political Congress of Black Women in 1996. She was married twice, first to Joseph Hunter in 1952 and then to John I. Lattany, Sr. in 1968. She died on November 14, 2008.

Bibliography

American Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide from Colonial Times to the Present: A Critical Reference Guide from Colonial Times to the Present. 2nd ed., s.v. “Hunter-Lattany, Kristin.”

Something About the Author, vol. 132.

“Kristin Hunter,” Wikipedia, accessed on December 30, 2011, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristin_Hunter

This collection consists of a typescript for the book Boss Cat (1971) and a manuscript for the book The Soul Brothers and Sister Lou (1968).

This collection is arranged alphabetically in two series: I. Boss Cat; II. The Soul Brothers and Sister Lou. It is housed in the same box as the Reinhold Weimar Goll writings and the William Steig illustrations.

Publication Information:

Free Library of Philadelphia: Children's Literature Research Collection

Finding Aid Author:

Finding aid prepared by Lindsay Friedman

Sponsor:

The processing of this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources’ “Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives” Project.

Access Restrictions:

This collection is open to researchers by appointment. Please contact the Curator for information on access.

Use Restrictions:

The right of access to material does not imply the right of publication. Permission for reprinting, reproduction, or extensive quotation from the rare books, manuscripts, prints, or drawings must be obtained through written application, stating the use to be made of the material. The reader bears the responsibility for any possible infringement of copyright laws in the publication of such material. A reproduction fee will be charged if the material is to be reproduced in a commercial publication.

Immediate Source of Acquisition:

Gift of Kristin Hunter Lattany, 1975.

• Manuscripts
• Typescripts

• African American authors
• Children's authors--20th century
• Children's literature--20th century