Pearl S. Buck
A Cultural Biography
Published on 28. January 1998
Book
Paperback/Softback
500 pages
978-0-521-63989-7 (ISBN)
Description
One of the most popular novelists of the twentieth century, winner of a Pulitzer and Nobel Prize for Literature and an active social and political campaigner, particularly in the field of women's issues and Asian-American relations, Pearl Buck has, until now, remained 'hidden in public view'. Best known, perhaps, as the prolific author of The Good Earth, Buck led a career which extended well beyond her eighty works of fiction and non-fiction and deep into the public sphere. In this critically acclaimed biography, Peter Conn retrieves Pearl Buck from the footnotes of literary and cultural history and reinstates her as a figure of compelling and uncommon significance in twentieth-century literary, cultural and political history.
Reviews / Votes
'A fascinating book and one that is, for all its scholarly apparatus and methodical presentation of data, as much of a page turner as anything Buck ever wrote ... Peter Conn's biography is an indispensable resource.' New York Times Book Review 'Peter Conn, Buck's biographer, has done an amazing job of reminding us about Pearl Buck, and about our own recent past. Conn came to this project not through her books ... but through one of Buck's agencies. He's responded, paid his debt, with almost Chinese filial piety, in writing this elegant, absorbing book.' Washington Post 'Expertly written, not only a biography but as political history as well.' Library Journal 'With straightforward prose and balanced assessment of her accomplishments, Conn convinces us that Pearl Buck was a great person indeed.' Booklist '[T]his brilliantly conceived biography steers a sympathetic yet intelligently balanced course, revealing in fascinating detail the gripping life story of a compelling woman.' Publishers WeeklyMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
1 Maps; 41 Halftones, unspecified; 2 Line drawings, unspecified
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
804 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-521-63989-7 (9780521639897)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Content
Preface: Rediscovering Pearl Buck; 1. Missionary childhood; 2. New worlds; 3. Winds of change; 4. The Good Earth; 5. An exile's return; 6. The prize; 7. Wartime; 8. Losing battles; 9. Pearl Sydenstricker.