She ran away from home and married for the first time in her mid-teens; when her husband turned out to be violently abusive, she left him, moved to Chicago, and briefly made a living as an actress.
Soon after her first marriage officially ended, she began a career as a writer, ultimately becoming well known for her short stories and for her novel, Ship of Fools.
For several years, she spent a significant amount of time in Mexico, where she became involved in leftist political circles and befriended Diego Rivera, though she later turned against the Mexican leftist movement and was harshly critical of it.
Porter was ultimately married and divorced four times, and was a celebrated writer and teacher, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1966.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/02/beach-reads-summer_n_7699708.html?ir=Women&ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000046
