Books like The Heaven of Mercury

Wilton Brad Watson (July 24, 1955 – July 8, 2020) was an American author and academic. Originally from Mississippi, he worked and lived in Alabama, Florida, California, Boston, and Wyoming. He was a professor at the University of Wyoming until his death. Watson published four books – two novels and two collections of short stories – to critical acclaim.

Watson was born in Meridian, Mississippi on July 24, 1955. He was the second of three sons of Robert Earl Watson and Bonnie Clay. He married his high school sweetheart and had a son together before twelfth grade. They moved to Los Angeles after finishing high school, and worked as a garbage truck driver while aspiring to become an actor. He subsequently returned home to Mississippi after his older brother, Clay, died in a car accident. At the urging of his family, he went back into education, attending Meridian Junior College and then Mississippi State University, where he graduated with a degree in English. Subsequently, he undertook postgraduate studies at the University of Alabama, obtaining a Master of Fine Arts in writing and American literature from that institution.