Madison Jones
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Brief Biography
Madison Jones was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and had a formative upbringing listening to Bible stories, tales of the Civil War, and folk tales while living with his maternal grandparents in Belle Meade. Summers spent working on his father's farm further shaped his experiences. He was drafted and served in the United States Army Corps of Military Police before earning a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University in 1949. He went on to earn his master’s degree from the University of Florida in 1951 and then taught at Miami University of Ohio. His debut novel, The Innocent, was published in 1957 and marked the beginning of his career as a novelist. Jones briefly taught at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville before joining Auburn University's English department until his retirement in 1987. Throughout his career, Jones received notable fellowships, including the Rockefeller Foundation fellowship in 1968 and the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1973. The 1970 film I Walk the Line is an adaptation of one of Jones’s novels, An Exile. Jones continued to live and write in Auburn, Alabama, until his death in 2012.
Publications
The Innocent. New York; Harcourt, Brace, 1957.
History of the Tennessee State Dental Association. Nashville; Tennessee Dental Association, 1958.
Forest of the Night. New York; Harcourt, Brace, 1960.
A Buried Land. New York; Viking, 1963.
An Exile. New York; Viking, 1967.
A Cry of Absence. New York; Crown, 1971.
Passage Through Gehenna. Louisiana; Louisiana State University Press, 1978.
Season of the Strangler. New York; Doubleday, 1982.
Last Things. Louisiana; Louisiana State University Press, 1989.
To the Winds: A Novel. Atlanta; Longstreet Press, 1996.
Nashville, 1864: The Dying of the Light: A Novel. Nashville; J.S. Sanders, 1997.
Herod’s Wife: A Novel. Tuscaloosa; University of Alabama Press, 2003.
The Adventures of Douglas Bragg: A Novel. Knoxville; University of Tennessee Press, 2008.
Essential Oils For Weight Loss: Essential Oils Recipes To Shed Fat. Madison Jones, 2014.
The Productivity Planner: The Planner For Every Facet of Your Life. Madison Jones, 2021.
The Fruits of My Mind : Faith-Based Poetry. Madison Jones, 2022.
A Garden For a Heart: A Collection of Poems. Madison Jones, 2023.
History of the Tennessee State Dental Association. Nashville; Tennessee Dental Association, 1958.
Forest of the Night. New York; Harcourt, Brace, 1960.
A Buried Land. New York; Viking, 1963.
An Exile. New York; Viking, 1967.
A Cry of Absence. New York; Crown, 1971.
Passage Through Gehenna. Louisiana; Louisiana State University Press, 1978.
Season of the Strangler. New York; Doubleday, 1982.
Last Things. Louisiana; Louisiana State University Press, 1989.
To the Winds: A Novel. Atlanta; Longstreet Press, 1996.
Nashville, 1864: The Dying of the Light: A Novel. Nashville; J.S. Sanders, 1997.
Herod’s Wife: A Novel. Tuscaloosa; University of Alabama Press, 2003.
The Adventures of Douglas Bragg: A Novel. Knoxville; University of Tennessee Press, 2008.
Essential Oils For Weight Loss: Essential Oils Recipes To Shed Fat. Madison Jones, 2014.
The Productivity Planner: The Planner For Every Facet of Your Life. Madison Jones, 2021.
The Fruits of My Mind : Faith-Based Poetry. Madison Jones, 2022.
A Garden For a Heart: A Collection of Poems. Madison Jones, 2023.
Themes
Madison Jones was a novelist inspired by the Agrarian tradition in southern literature and Calvinism. Many of his novels explore themes of morality, man's depravity, and redemption.
Publisher
Alabama Authors of the 19th and 20th Centuries, edited by Beverley Park Rilett, http://AlabamaAuthors.org
Collection
Citation
Jones, Madison, “Madison Jones,” Alabama Authors of the 19th & 20th Centuries, accessed September 19, 2024, https://alabamaauthors.org/items/show/619.