Pearl S. Buck

Profession: Novelist, Humanitarian and Social Activist

Nationality:

Biography: Buck was the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature for her second novel, "The Good Earth". Published in 1931, it was the best-selling book of both 1931 and 1932, and also won the Pulitzer Prize (1932) and the Howells Medal (1935). It was adapted as a major MGM film in 1937.

She was raised in China by her Presbyterian missionary parents, spending most of the first half of her life there. Many of her writings reflect traditional Asian culture. She published over seventy books: novels, collections of stories, biographies; memoirs, poetry, children's literature, and Chinese translations.

Buck used her skills as an activist for civil rights, and women's rights. She also advocated for the developmentally disabled, and for cross-cultural adoption of orphans.

Born: June 26, 1892
Birthplace: Hillsboro, West Virginia, USA

Generation: Lost Generation
Star Sign: Cancer

Died: March 6, 1973 (aged 80)
Cause of Death: Lung cancer