Shirley Jacksonwas born in San Francisco on December 14, 1916. She first received wide critical acclaim for "The Lottery," which was published inThe New Yorkerin 1948 and went on to become one of the most anthologized stories in American literature. She is the author of six novels, includingThe Haunting of Hill HouseandWe Have Always Lived in the Castle;four collections of short stories and essays, includingJust an Ordinary Day;and two family memoirs,Life Among the SavagesandRaising Demons. For many years she lived in North Bennington, Vermont, with her husband, the renowned literary critic Stanley Edgar Hyman, and their four children. She died on August 8, 1965.