Edwin DuBose Heyward, 1885–1940, was an American author best known for his 1925 novel Porgy. As a child and young man, Heyward was frequently ill. He contracted polio when he was 18. Two years later he contracted typhoid fever, and the following year fell ill with pleurisy. He dropped out of high school in his first year at age fourteen but had a lifelong and serious interest in literature. He was able to support himself as he became a successful insurance agent. While confined to his sickbed, he wrote numerous verses and stories. By 1924, Heyward had achieved a measure of financial independence, allowing him to give up business and devote himself full-time to literature. In 1925 he published his novel Porgy, set in the Black community of Charleston.