DuBose Heyward, known primarily as "the man who wrote Porgy," is less remembered than the title character of his most famous piece of fiction. Nevertheless, he is considered an important figure in twentieth-century Southern literature. His work includes attempts at several literary forms, and he was able to achieve a measure of critical, popular, and financial success in each genre. A genuine "Southern gentleman" and self-conscious artist, Heyward memorialized his native South, especially the South Carolina Low Country and the city of Charleston; and while he is classified as only a local-color writer, he achieved his greatest recognition for his portrayal of black characters who, like Porgy, have become part of Carolina folklore and America's cultural heritage. His best fiction was written during the 1920s, and it is ironic that the work of this author from white Southern aristocratic stock should share the success of Negro themes made...