Donald Douglas Harington was an American author, born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. He is best known for his series of novels set in the fictional town of Stay More, which is based on Drakes Creek, Arkansas where Harington spent many summers during his childhood. Harington lost nearly all of his hearing at the age of 12 due to meningitis, but this did not stop him from picking up the unique vocabulary and modes of expression of the Ozark denizens, nor did it hinder his teaching career in art and art history.
Harington's novels are known for their vivid descriptions, unique characters, and exploration of the human condition. His writing style has been described as jubilant, lyrical, foxy, captivating, delicate, bawdy, playful, reckless, joyful, and courageous. His first novel was published in 1965, and he went on to write fourteen more, most of them set in the fictional hamlet of Stay More. Harington's works include "Architecture of the Arkansas Ozarks," "The Choiring of the Trees," "With," and "Enduring," which was published just two months before his death.
Harington's novels are highly regarded by critics and readers alike, with Entertainment Weekly calling him "America's greatest unknown writer" and the novelist and critic Fred Chappell describing him as "an undiscovered continent." Novelist James Sallis, writing in the Boston Globe, called Harington's books "the quirkiest, most original body of work in contemporary U.S. letters." Harington received numerous awards for his writing, including the Robert Penn Warren Award, the Porter Prize, the Heasley Prize, and the Oxford American Lifetime Achievement Award.
In addition to his writing, Harington was also a visual artist, and his cover illustrations appear on many of his novels. He taught art history in New York, New England, and South Dakota before returning to the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where he taught for 22 years before retiring in 2008. Harington died of pneumonia in Springdale on 7 November 2009, but his work lives on as a testament to his unique vision and his contribution to American literature.