Born in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1933, David Madden graduated from the University of Tennessee. He was Writer-in-residence at LSU from 1968 to 1992, Director of the Creative Writing Program 1992-1994, Founding Director of the United States Civil War Center 1992-1999, and he is now LSU Robert Penn Warren Professor of Creative Writing Emeritus. His first novel, The Beautiful Greed, was based on his Merchant seaman experiences. Other novels include Cassandra Singing (1969), The Suicide's Wife (1978), and Sharpshooter: A Novel of the Civil War (1996).