Born in 1922, James Hurst and his two older siblings grew up on a farm near the seacoast in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Although the author maintained “The Scarlet Ibis” is not autobiographical, the story’s setting closely parallels the idyllic North Carolinian farm of Hurst’s youth. Many of the flowers and plant life featured in the story existed on Hurst’s childhood farm. Hurst also alludes to real places and events, such as locations of World War I battles and “Dix Hill,” a North Carolina psychiatric facility built in 1856 and since renamed Dorothea Dix Hospital. The hospital also served people with developmental disabilities and treated substance abuse.

After studying chemical engineering at North Carolina State College, now North Carolina State University, Hurst served in the army during World War II. Following his service, Hurst trained as an actor and singer at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. Hoping to become an opera singer, Hurst moved to Rome, where he lived for three or four years. After giving up on his operatic career, Hurst returned to New York. He took a position in the international department of Chase Manhattan Bank, where he worked for 34 years.