1892 - 1973
Overview:
Pearl Buck began as a small child in China early in the twentieth century, grew up to be an amazing individual. As well as becoming one of the most acclaimed writers of our time, she campaigned for civil rights in America and set up many foundations for Asian immigrants coming to the U.S.
Country:
United States of America
Type
of hero: Civil and Political Rights
Attributes:
Writer, Humanitarian
Biography:
Born Pearl Sydenstricker, she was the daughter of Presbyterian missionaries. Pearl spent a difficult early childhood travelling through China. Several of the family’s other children died during this period. She learned to speak both English and Chinese from an early age and even had the advantage of a Chinese tutor.
The family eventually settled in Chin Kiang on the banks of the Yangtze River still in China. She was sent to a boarding school in Shangai at the age of 15.
In 1910, she returned to the United States to study at the Randolph- Macon College in Virginia where she received her B.A. “East Wind West Wind”, her first book was published but received little attention. She began to teach Psychology, but soon returned to China when she heard that her mother was ill. While there, she met John Buc, an agriculturalist. They married in 1917, and immediately moved to Nanhsuchou in rural Anhwei (Anhui) Province. In this impoverished community, she collected the material that she would use in her later writings.
“The Good Earth” published in 1931, her second book, became an instant success. It sold nearly 2 million copies and headed the best seller list. It also inspired a play, a film and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1932.
In 1934, because of difficult conditions in China, she moved back to the United States where she became active in American Civil Rights as well as women’s rights campaigns.
Her humanitarianism is also seen in her actions in the establishment of the East and West Association and the Welcome House adoption agency for Asian Americans. She also established the Pearl Buck Foundation, which provides sponsorship for thousands of children in Asian countries.
Citations
& References:
Links:
http://www.pearl-s-buck.org/
http://nobelprizes.com/nobel/literature/1938a.html
http://www.english.upenn.edu/Projects/Buck/
http://www.greatwomen.org/buck.htm
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