“S” is for Simons, Katherine Drayton Mayrant (1890-1969)

“S” is for Simons, Katherine Drayton Mayrant (1890-1969). Poet, novelist, playwright, historian. Born in Charleston Simmons was interested in literary pursuits since her early childhood The first of her three books of poetry appeared in 1912 and she was a charter member of the poetry Society of South Carolina. Simons later created a national reputation for herself in the field of fiction. Her serious interest in travel, the equestrian arts, and South Carolina history are reflected in the eight historical novels she published between 1948 and 1960 under the pseudonym Drayton Mayrant. Seven of these novels were chosen as book club selections. Critics described her work as “superlatively well written” and “warmly imaginative.” Perhaps because she was first a poet, one reviewer wrote, Catherine Drayton Mayrant Simmons “created sentences and paragraphs one returns to again and again for their beauty.”