Frances Mayes

It appears that the information available about Frances Mayes identifies her primarily as an American writer, professor, poet, and memoirist, rather than solely as an “educator” in the more general sense.

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Frances Mayes – Life, Writing Career, and Literary Legacy

Frances Mayes (born 1940) is an American poet, memoirist, novelist, and former professor of creative writing. Best known for Under the Tuscan Sun, her work bridges personal narrative, travel, and the pleasures of place.

Introduction

Frances Mayes is a celebrated American writer, poet, and creative writing professor known for her deeply personal and evocative works about home, travel, renovation, and the art of living slowly. Although her name is most often associated with Under the Tuscan Sun, Mayes’s career spans several genres—poetry, memoir, novel, essay—and her former role as a university professor grounds her in the world of literary education and mentorship.

Her voice resonates with readers seeking connection to place, memory, and transformation through the act of writing.

Early Life and Family

Frances Mayes was born in Fitzgerald, Georgia in 1940 (some sources list March 23; others April 4) as the youngest of three daughters.

From childhood, Mayes was drawn to reading, writing, and landscapes. Her early years in Georgia would later inform her sense of home, place, and memory—recurring themes in her later works.

Education and Academic Career

Mayes began her higher education at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Virginia, before transferring to the University of Florida, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts.

In 1975, she completed a Master of Arts at San Francisco State University (SFSU).

After earning her MA, Mayes joined SFSU’s faculty, eventually becoming a Professor of Creative Writing, Director of The Poetry Center, and Chair of the Department of Creative Writing.

During this period, she published poetry and essays, guiding students and contributing to literary communities. Her academic role reinforced her identity as both an educator and a practicing writer.

Literary Works & Breakthrough

Poetry and Early Publications

Mayes has authored multiple collections of poetry, including:

• Sunday in Another Country (1977)

• After Such Pleasures (1979)

• The Arts of Fire (1982)

• Hours (1984)

• Ex Voto (1995)

She also wrote a teaching text, The Discovery of Poetry: A Field Guide to Reading and Writing Poems, used in college poetry courses.

Memoirs, Travel & Tuscany

In 1996, Mayes published her signature memoir Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy, chronicling her purchase and renovation of an abandoned Tuscan villa named Bramasole in Cortona, Italy. The book became a long-running New York Times bestseller (for over two years) and significantly expanded her audience.

The memoir was adapted (loosely) into a film starring Diane Lane, released in 2003.

Following that success, Mayes released:

• Bella Tuscany: The Sweet Life in Italy (1999)

• In Tuscany (2000) — a photo-text collaboration with her husband Edward Mayes and photographer Bob Krist

• Bringing Tuscany Home: Sensuous Style From the Heart of Italy (2004) with photographs by Steven Rothfeld

• A Year in the World: Journeys of a Passionate Traveller (2006) — a travel memoir covering journeys across Mediterranean and beyond

• Later works include Every Day in Tuscany (2010), See You in the Piazza, Always Italy, Swan (her first novel, 2002), Women in Sunlight, Under Magnolia: A Southern Memoir, A Great Marriage, and Pasta Veloce.

Her books have been translated into many languages and reached international readership.

Themes, Style & Influence

Mayes’s writing is marked by:

• Sense of place: Whether Georgia or Tuscany, her prose evokes strong landscapes, textures, light, and atmosphere.

• Slow living / Renovation as metaphor: Her villa restoration narratives often double as reflections on rebirth, domestic life, and cultural immersion.

• Blending genres: She weaves memoir, travel writing, culinary detail, poetry, and home design into her narratives.

• Accessibility & intimacy: Her tone is conversational, warm, and inviting—readers often feel as if they are sharing a walk or meal with her.

• Transformation & self-discovery: Many works pivot around midlife change, the courage to start anew, and the interplay of identity and place.

Her approach has inspired many readers to explore Italy, renovate homes, or rethink notions of home and belonging.

Personal Life

Frances Mayes married William Frank King (a computer researcher) when she was about 22; they had one daughter, Ashley King. They later divorced in the 1980s.

In the mid-1980s, she began a partnership with poet and professor Edward Kleinschmidt, whom she married in 1998 (he adopted her surname).

The couple restored Bramasole, the Tuscan villa that became central to her memoirs.

Mayes and Edward divide their time between their homes in North Carolina (USA) and Cortona, Italy.

Her life has also been marked by her willingness to embrace cross-cultural living, balancing American roots with deep engagement with Italian life.

Legacy & Impact

• Broad readership: Under the Tuscan Sun became a cultural phenomenon, moving readers toward travel, renovation, and reimagining home.

• Literary & academic role: Her years teaching creative writing and poetry grounded her as both creator and mentor.

• Fusion of art and life: Mayes shows how everyday act—cooking, gardening, restoring—can become poetic.

• Cultural bridge: She helped bring Italy, its interiors, landscapes, and rhythms, into the imaginations of many English-language readers.

• Inspiration for midlife reinvention: Her story encourages readers to embrace change, take risks, and cultivate beauty in everyday life.

Though she stepped back from academia to write full time, her works continue to be taught in literature, travel writing, and creative writing courses.

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