Barbara Kingsolver Biography
Barbara Kingsolver seems to have been born to be a writer. In grade school her first published essay, titled “Why We Need a New Elementary School,” was printed in the local newspaper. It outlined the reasons her local school was unsafe and may have helped to secure an improvement bond.
In college, she studied everything from music to science, eventually doing graduate work in evolutionary biology. Though she worked as a scientific writer for the University of Arizona and then as a freelance writer, she finally turned to fiction full-time in the 1980s. Since then, Kingsolver has published twelve novels and won numerous awards, including the 2000 National Humanities Medal.
Facts and Trivia
- Before becoming a full-time author, Kingsolver held many jobs: typesetter, housecleaner, medical laboratory technician, translator, scientific writer, and freelance journalist.
- She wrote her first novel, The Bean Trees, "during the insomniac nights of [her] first pregnancy" at a desk in the closet, so as to not disturb her sleeping husband.
- Kingsolver instituted the Bellwether Prize in 1997, which is awarded biennially to a novel that uses literature as a tool for social change.
- Kingsolver loves to write about people’s relationship to the land. She counts Henry David Thoreau as one of her many influences.
- She was awarded the National Humanities Medal, which was presented to her by President Clinton.
- Kingsolver now lives on a farm in Virginia where she raises chickens, sheep, and turkey and has a huge vegetable garden.
Biography
Barbara Kingsolver has firmly established herself as a significant voice in American literature, capturing audiences with her rich and varied storytelling. Her work seamlessly blends personal narratives with larger societal issues, drawing from her diverse background and experiences. From her poetic prose to her activist inclinations, Kingsolver's literature resonates with themes of social justice, environmental awareness, and cultural respect.
Background and Influences
The acclaim Kingsolver received for Pigs in Heaven and Animal Dreams was well-deserved, marking her emergence as a formidable figure in contemporary fiction. Born to a physician and married to a chemist, Kingsolver's life is steeped in scientific and academic influences. Her academic journey is noteworthy, with a B.A. from DePauw University, followed by an M.S. from the University of Arizona. She also worked as a research assistant in physiology and later as a technical writer specializing in arid land studies. This scientific background permeates her storytelling, where she skillfully navigates complex plots set against a backdrop of ecological and ethnobiological landscapes.
Interwoven Themes and Characters
In The Bean Trees and Pigs in Heaven, Kingsolver weaves interconnected stories through the lives of Taylor Greer and an adopted Cherokee child named Turtle. These novels explore themes central to Kingsolver’s body of work: the significance of children, the intricacies of cross-cultural respect, and the joy found in pursuing dreams amidst life’s challenges. Her characters often seek love within the complexity of intercultural dynamics, embodying resilience and understanding.
Exploring Cultural Commitment
The theme of navigating cultural tensions is brought to the forefront in Animal Dreams. Codi Noline, the protagonist, grapples with finding her path while denying any desire to do so. Her journey of self-discovery unfolds as she aids her father's hometown in confronting industrial pollution, mirroring Kingsolver’s own burgeoning activism for human rights. Through this narrative, Codi learns to confront her past and embrace her potential, guided by the wisdom of Loyd Peregrina, who tells her, "Your dreams, what you hope for and all that, it's not separate from your life. It grows right up out of it. . . . If you want sweet dreams, you’ve got to live a sweet life."
Real-World Engagement
Kingsolver's commitment to real-world issues extends beyond her novels into her non-fiction and poetry. Works like Holding the Line: Women in the Great Arizona Mine Strike of 1983 and High Tide in Tucson: Essays from Now or Never highlight her engagement with socio-political matters. In Holding the Line, Kingsolver provides a vivid account of the 1983 strike against the Phelps Dodge Copper Corporation, emphasizing the unexpected strength of the women who sustained the strike beyond their male counterparts. This narrative questions traditional gender roles and echoes the "machisma" found in her female-centric fiction.
Personal Reflections and Broader Implications
High Tide in Tucson presents a more personal side of Kingsolver, offering reflections from her life as a single mother. Her essays often focus on the natural landscape and culture of the American desert, informed by her scientific background. In "Semper Fi," for instance, she delves into the concept of fidelity, exploring topics from the mundane to the profound, including critiques of pseudoscientific theories like those in The Bell Curve by Robert Herrnstein and Charles Murray.
Guiding Philosophy
In her titular essay from High Tide in Tucson, Kingsolver distills a guiding philosophy that connects her diverse body of work: "In the best of times, I hold in mind the need to care for things beyond the self: poetry, humanity, grace." This sentiment encapsulates her dedication to using literature as a tool for broader social and environmental consciousness, urging both herself and her readers to "be a good animal today," focusing on the essentials of living a balanced, mindful life.
Criticism by Barbara Kingsolver
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