Eudora Welty was an American author and short story writer from Jackson, Mississippi. She is best known for her works of Southern literature, which often featured themes of racial injustice and the human condition. Her most famous works include 'The Optimist's Daughter' and 'Delta Wedding'. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1973 for her novel 'The Optimist's Daughter'. Welty was also a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1980.