BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana writer who has written in regards to the 1918 flu pandemic and the 1927 Mississippi River flood is receiving the state’s annual writing award.
John M. Barry has been chosen for the twenty first annual Louisiana Author Award, given by the state library’s Louisiana Center for the Book.
“The contributions of Mr. Barry to literature, historical past, authorities and the schooling of Louisianans and residents throughout the nation have been nothing in need of exceptional. We’re happy and likewise lucky that he selected to make his house in Louisiana,” Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, who oversees the state library, stated in a press release.
Barry, a professor on the Tulane Faculty of Public Well being and Tropical Drugs, has written a number of books, together with “The Nice Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in Historical past” and “Rising Tide: The Nice Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Modified America.”
“The resurgence of curiosity in ‘The Nice Influenza’ because the begin of the coronavirus outbreak proves the timeliness, and timelessness, of John’s work. His experience and dedication to Louisiana, and specifically, his function in coastal restoration, are worthy of reward and celebration,” stated State Librarian Rebecca Hamilton.
