Educated at Columbus High School, McCullers went to New York City with the intention of studying music at the Julliard School of Music. However, after losing her money on a subway, she decided to work and become a writer. She held various odd jobs, but developed rheumatic fever and returned to Columbus. After recovery, she returned to New York and studied writing at Columbia University and New York University. Then, in 1936, she published Wunderkind, her first work. In 1937, she married Reeves McCullers, another aspiring writer. They lived in North Carolina where Reeves had found work. Then, in 1940, Carson published her most famous work, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, which won critical acclaim. Only 23 at the time, she was propelled onto the literary scene. Besides being a financial success, the book was made into a film. She divorced Reeves in 1941 and moved to New York where she lived with George Davis, the editor of Harper's Bazaar. Following the Second World War, she lived for a time in Paris, but subsequently returned to New York. McCullers suffered with many ailments and had several strokes during her short life. By the age of 31, her left side was entirely paralyzed. From 1947 until the end of her life, she lived in Nyack, New York. She died from a brain hemorrhage. Her other works include Reflections in a Golden Eye (1941), The Jockey (1941), The Member of the Wedding (1946), The Sojourner (1950) and Clock Without Hands (1961).