A Southern State which forms part of the Atlantic Seaboard, North Carolina has had a tumultuous and at times tragic history. It formed part of the original Thirteen Colonies of the British and was also one of states to secede from the union prior to the Civil War. The economy of North Carolina was devastated by the Civil War and the abolition of slavery which followed, as it was largely dependent on cotton plantations run on slave labour.

The most famous author from North Carolina is Thomas Wolfe who is widely celebrated as one of the preeminent American authors of the Twentieth Century. His critically acclaimed works Look Homeward, Angel and You Can’t Go Home Again are based partly on his own experiences of growing up in small town North Carolina. The former is a bildungsroman which follows one young man’s development within the fictional town of Altamont, Catawba, based partly on Wolfe’s home town of Asheville, North Carolina.

North Carolina has served as setting and inspiration for a number of celebrated modern films including Being There, Bill Durham and The Butcher’s Wife. They all engage with the small town life which typifies North Carolina.