Dolly Parton, 80, on the Author Who Truly Gets Her: ‘She Goes Plum Deep Into My Soul’
The country icon opens up about their Southern connection—plus, her Imagination Library book picks!
Key Takeaways
- Dolly Parton, 80, credits her deep love of Appalachian storytelling to author Lee Smith
- The two met 25 years ago when Dolly surprised Smith with a lunch in Nashville
- Dolly calls Smith’s novel 'Oral History' a story that "hits home" for Southern families
Dolly Parton may be a global superstar, but she’s a master storyteller at heart. So when she revealed who her go-to Southern storyteller was, we had to know more. “I have a favorite Southern writer named Lee Smith,” she told Jenna Bush Hager on the Open Book With Jenna podcast. “She writes all these great stories about country people, mountain people.” Here at Woman’s World, we love a great reading or author recommendation—and we consider this one from the Queen of Country a shining star.
So if you’re wondering what drew Dolly to Smith’s stories, what their relationship is like or simply want more of Dolly’s book recommendations, you’re in the right place! We investigated Dolly’s deep love for Smith’s work, their real-life friendship and Dolly’s favorite reads in her Imagination Library! Keep reading for all the need-to-know details.
Why Dolly Parton calls Lee Smith her favorite Southern writer
“I’m drawn to Southern writers,” Dolly said on Open Book With Jenna. It’s easy to see why Dolly is drawn to Smith’s work. Smith is a celebrated Southern writer known for her character-driven novels set in the lush Appalachian South. Her stories explore poignant themes like family, ambition, love and the complexities of women’s lives as they follow their dreams. The parallels between Smith’s themes and Dolly’s own life story are apparent.
Smith, who was born in Grundy, Virginia, has published more than 15 books over her career, but one novel holds a special place in Dolly’s heart: Oral History, released in 1983. The book tells the multigenerational story of an Appalachian family, and for Dolly, it feels like coming home.
“This book really hits home for me because it’s really about Southern people,” Parton explained in an interview with Marie Claire. “It’s a wonderful story about families, and love and romance and just the hard times that people go through. Lee Smith just tells a story in such a way that it just goes plum deep into my soul and heart. And if you have not read Lee Smith, you better get after it!”
Dolly and Lee Smith’s surprising meeting
Lee Smith, 81, and Dolly, 80, first met in person more than two decades ago. The two poetically met in Nashville ahead of the Southern Festival of Books about 25 years ago. The beloved annual book festival launched in 1989 and is recognized as one of the nation’s oldest literary events. It’s held every year in downtown Nashville and is organized by Humanities Tennessee.
In 2000, Smith was invited by the festival organizers to give the main talk of the event. “I was completely terrified because I was so much younger and undereducated compared to all of these people who were wonderful scholars,” Smith said in an interview with Chapter16. “I remember being in a complete panic…and just as I was packing up and getting ready to leave, the phone rang—and this voice said he was Dolly Parton’s manager.”
The manager had seen in the paper that Smith was coming to speak at the festival—and he and Dolly wondered if they could take her out to lunch before her talk. Smith was overjoyed and shocked by the invitation. “And I said, ‘Why, yes!’ When I told my husband, Hal, who hadn’t planned to go and had all sorts of other things to do, he immediately jumped up and said, ‘Oh, I’ll be going.’ They picked us up from our hotel and took us to a restaurant in an old antebellum house,” Smith told the outlet.
A literary lunch to remember!
“When we walked in—me and Hal and Dolly’s manager and Dolly—everybody in the restaurant stood up and burst into applause. And I turned around and looked at my husband and he’s waving, he’s in the back and he’s waving and waving. But anyway, that was a surprise and I was real glad to meet Dolly. So that was a very memorable festival, although I have no idea what I said in my talk!”
Dolly’s love of books is a lifelong passion
Dolly’s love of reading runs deep—and it inspired one of her most meaningful legacies. “I am as proud of The Imagination Library as anything I will ever do for the rest of my life,” Dolly told PBS of the program, which sends free books to children from birth through age 5. It was born from a deeply personal place. “My own father couldn’t read and write,” Dolly explained. “He grew up in a big family in the mountains, and when I saw how crippled that had made my dad emotionally, I wanted to do something to help him and others.” The program gives books to children monthly from birth, helping them learn to read at an impressionable age.
“I felt like I was bringing honor to my dad,” she continued, her voice full of emotion. “He lived long enough to see it doing well and work with me, and he took such pride in it. That gave me such pride in myself—that I could do that for my daddy.”
Dolly Parton books: Her top three picks from The Imagination Library
The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
“This is always the first book we send out for The Imagination Library,” Dolly said. “So I would certainly recommend this one!” The classic tale of perseverance has inspired generations of young readers.
I Am a Rainbow by Dolly Parton
Dolly wrote this book! The story encourages children of all ages to acknowledge and understand their feelings—and it holds a special place in her heart. “It talks about all the moods and how it’s okay and what it means,” she explained to PBS.
Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton
Based on Dolly’s beloved 1971 song of the same name, this picture book tackles important themes. “It’s really about acceptance and bullying,” Dolly continued. The heartfelt story, drawn from her own childhood, teaches children about finding pride in what makes them unique. “Those are the three that I would recommend from the Imagination Library,” Dolly concluded, “because I have so much emotion invested in them.”
And that emotion—and deep love of storytelling and reading—shines through in every single book she shares, from Lee Smith’s poignant Appalachian novels to the stories she sends to children around the world.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Woman's World does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
