Cecil Dawkins, American author of fiction, was born in Birmingham, Alabama. She was educated at the University of Alabama and earned a master’s degree at Stanford University in 1953. Dawkins is best known for her fiction and mystery novels, including: Turtle Truths (1997), The Santa Fe Rembrandt (1993), Charleyhorse (1985), The Quiet Enemy (1963), and The Live Goat (1971), which won the Harper-Saxton Fellowship. In addition to her novels, Dawkins’ work appeared in Best American Short Stories (1963), The Paris Review, Sewanee Review, Georgia Review, Southwest Review, and Saturday Evening Post.
Dawkins was a Stanford University Fellow in 1952, Guggenheim Fellow in 1966, Harper-Saxton Fellow, and recipient of a McGinnis Award in 1963 for “A Simple Case,” and a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts award in 1976. She held positions as a visiting professor at Stephens College, Sarah Lawrence College, and the University of Hawaii, Manoa. Dawkins currently lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
