William Gay was born in Hohenwald, Tennessee on October 27, 1941. After graduating from high school, he joined the United States Navy and served during the Vietnam War. Before becoming a writer at the age of 57, he worked as a carpenter, drywall-hanger and house painter. His first short story, I Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down, was published in the Georgia Review literary journal in 1998. In 2009, it was adapted into a film entitled That Evening Sun starring Hal Holbrook. His first novel, The Long Home, was published in 1999 and won the James A. Michener Memorial Prize. His other works include Twilight, The Lost Country, and Provinces of Night, which was also adapted into a film, entitled Bloodworth starring Val Kilmer and Kris Kristofferson in 2010. He died of a heart attack on February 23, 2012 at the age of 70.
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