James Hurst

James Hurst (born 1922) is a short story writer, best known for "The Scarlet Ibis".

Hurst grew up in South Carolina on a coastal farm, the present site of US Marine Corps. Camp LeJeune. After attending North Carolina State College and serving in the United States Army during World War II, he studied singing at the renowned Juilliard School of Music in New York. Hoping for a career in opera, he went to Italy for additional study. After three years he abandoned his musical ambitions. Upon return to the States in 1951, he began a 34-year career in the international department of a large New York City Bank.

During his early years at the bank, he wrote short stories, some of which were published in small literary magazines. "The Scarlet Ibis" first appeared in The Atlantic Monthly in July 1960 and won the "Atlantic First" award that year. Quickly recognized by literary critics, the story appears in collections and virtually every high-school literature textbook published in the United States.

Hurst retired from the bank in 1985 as a second vice-president, and currently lives in North Carolina.