‘Vain, querulous and a genius’ With her portraits of oddbods and adolescent girls, Carson McCullers has captured the hearts of generations of readers. Just don't be fooled by her apparent innocence. Her novels are darker and more political than they might seem, argues Ali Smith Tweet 'Open-faced wunderkind from the Southern States' ... Carson McCullers in New York, 1955. Photograph: Bettman/Corbis Photograph: Corbis This article has been removed as the copyright has expired