James Rufus Agee was born on November 27, 1909, in Knoxville, Tennessee. When he was five years old his father was instantly killed in a tragic automobile accident. Three years later, in 1916, Agee began his schooling at St. Andrews boarding school in Sewanee, Tennessee. In 1924, he returned to Knoxville to attend public high school, but after staying for only one year he finished his secondary education at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. After graduating, Agee then decided to further his education by pursuing a career in literature at Harvard University where he became editor of…
