Richard Marius was a Southern writer and scholar. Born in Loudon County, Tennessee, on July 29, 1933, Marius graduated with his undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1954, earned both his masters and Ph.D. at Yale, and returned to teach at the University of Tennessee. He was noted as one of the most popular professors, and he served as a political leader on campus leading numerous protests. In 1978, Marius moved to his position as director of the Expository Writing Program where he stayed until his retirement in 1994. He married Lanier Smythe in 1970 and they had one son, John. Marius died on November 9, 1999.

Marius wrote four fiction novels, all taking place in East Tennessee throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His first novel, The Coming of Rain, was published in 1969 and is part of a loose trilogy that includes After the War (1992) and An Affair of Honor (2001). In addition to his works of fiction, Marius also authored several non-fiction works, primarily related to the Reformation era, the focus of much of his scholarship, including biographies of Thomas More and Martin Luther.