Margaret Mitchell (1900–1949)

Margaret Mitchell, born November 8, 1900, was the American author of Gone with the Wind, one of the best-selling novels of all time. A former journalist from Atlanta, Georgia, she spent a decade writing her sweeping Civil War epic — and it won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937.

Mitchell died in 1949, aged 48, after being struck by a car. She wrote only one novel published in her lifetime, yet it made her immortal.

Who was Margaret Mitchell?

Margaret Mitchell was born on November 8, 1900, in Atlanta, Georgia. Before she was a novelist, she was a journalist, and her reporter’s eye for detail and drama shaped everything she wrote.

For a decade, she poured herself into a single book: a sweeping epic of the Civil War and Reconstruction told from the Southern point of view. When Gone with the Wind was published in 1936, it became one of the best-selling novels of all time.

Gone with the Wind

Mitchell’s novel is an epic of the Civil War and Reconstruction, seen through Southern eyes. Its heroine, Scarlett O’Hara, is one of the most famous characters in American literature — headstrong, flawed, and unforgettable.

The book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937. Three years later, the 1939 film starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable became one of the highest-grossing films ever made, carrying Mitchell’s story to an even vaster audience.

A life cut short

Mitchell’s triumph was brief. She died in 1949, aged only 48, after being struck by a car. She never published another novel in her lifetime, which makes her achievement all the more astonishing: a single book, written over ten years, that conquered the world.

Key facts about Margaret Mitchell

• Born: November 8, 1900, in Atlanta, Georgia.
• Died: 1949, aged 48, after being struck by a car.
• Known for: Gone with the Wind (1936), one of the best-selling novels of all time.
• Career: A former journalist before becoming a novelist.
• Award: Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, 1937.
• The novel: A Civil War and Reconstruction epic from the Southern point of view, a decade in the writing.
• The film: The 1939 film starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable is one of the highest-grossing films ever made.

How to mark Margaret Mitchell’s birthday

• Read Gone with the Wind. Even if you have seen the film, the novel’s thousand pages hold far more.
• Watch the 1939 film. Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable bring Scarlett and Rhett to life in one of cinema’s greatest epics.
• Visit Atlanta in spirit. Mitchell’s Georgia roots run through every page of her book.
• Write something ambitious. Mitchell spent a decade on one book — a reminder that great work takes time.

Margaret Mitchell FAQ

When was Margaret Mitchell born?
November 8, 1900, in Atlanta, Georgia.

What is Margaret Mitchell famous for?
Gone with the Wind (1936), one of the best-selling novels of all time, winner of the 1937 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Was Margaret Mitchell a journalist?
Yes — she was a former journalist before writing her novel.

How did Margaret Mitchell die?
In 1949, aged 48, after being struck by a car.

How successful was the film?
The 1939 film starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable is one of the highest-grossing films ever made.

Why Margaret Mitchell matters

Margaret Mitchell, born November 8, 1900, wrote one of the best-selling novels of all time. A former journalist from Atlanta, she spent a decade crafting Gone with the Wind, her Civil War and Reconstruction epic from the Southern point of view. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937, and the 1939 film with Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable became one of the highest-grossing films ever made. She died in 1949, aged 48, after being struck by a car — but her single great novel never left the world’s shelves.

See the full list of November 8 holidays, observances and history.