Mark Steadman is a patient craftsman whose two volumes of fiction have identified him as an important, if not yet major, Southern voice. His collection of twelve Gothic stories, McAfee County: A Chronicle (1971), received outstanding notices in this country, its most perceptive reviewer calling it an "exceptional first work of fiction" and "an excellent harbinger of the career of a talented writer." The British edition went largely unreviewed; but a French translation, Quoi de Neuf en Georgie" (1974), and a German translation, Schwarze Chronik (1975), were both notable successes. His novel, A Lion's Share (1975), was well received and became an Avon paperback (1977) that continues in print.

Steadman was born in Statesboro, Georgia, to Mark Steadman, Sr., and Marie Hopkins Steadman. He attended the Georgia public schools and then took his B.A. in English from Emory University in 1951. He did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy (1951-...