Conduct biographical research about Barbara Kingsolver and find out as much as you can about who she is, as a writer and as an individual. What are her interests, her passions? Make links to what she has written about the Congo in The Poisonwood Bible. What have you learned about Kingsolver's personal life that sheds new light on what you read in the novel? Be specific here and post your reflections in a 300-word response.
Barbara Kingsolver was born in Maryland in 1955, but soon after moved to Kentucky at the age of two. Throughout her childhood, she loved reading different kinds of books, including her father’s medical books to encyclopedias. As a child, she already had a gift of writing as she had one of her works published in the local newspaper. Kingsolver moved to the Republic of Congo (now known as Democratic Republic Congo) when she was seven years old since her dad took a job working in a public health capacity. During their time in Congo, the family lived without electricity, water, automobiles, or schools. She lived with barely any food that her parents found from nowhere while they were dealing with medical problems. Although she was only a little child, this part of her life probably influenced her as a person and is probably a main cause for her decision to write the book, The Poisonwood Bible. Kingsolver states that as a child, she, along with her siblings, was very adventurous. She used to hide under trees, played games of stealth, played with different kinds of living creatures, all with no adult supervision. Kingsolver says that the move to Congo, at that time, only meant having more ‘exotic animals to stalk’ and playing with village kids ‘who surely found us oddly pigmented and inarticulate’. She also claims that these childhood characteristics have influenced many of her books, and we can see that it indeed has, as these characteristics strongly resemble Ruth May.
ReplyDeleteKingsolver studied at the DePauw University as a classical pianist, but soon changed to major in biology as she discovered that there is little chance of earning a living as a pianist. After years of exploring the world, hoping to earn fortunes of money, she ended finding herself as a freelance write in 1985.
Kingsolver had always wanted to write a novel based and set in Africa, and found the perfect opportunity in 1991 when her family moved to the Canary Islands just off the coasts of Africa. Here, she began to research about her African project coming up. Her end result being, The Poisonwood Bible, which has been an international success, translated in two multiple languages and has been a novel studied in schools around the world.
Barbara Kingsolver has had a very interesting life. She was born April 8, 1955, in Annapolis, Maryland. She earned biology degrees in university and has worked as a freelance writer and author since 1985. She has lived in England, France, and the Canary Islands, and she has worked in Europe, Africa, Asia, Mexico, and South America. Now she lives in southwestern Virginia. She does not believe that details of her personal life improve the understanding of her books, in any way.
ReplyDeleteBarbara Kingsolver began keeping a journal at eight years old and she would always give her teachers way more written work than they had asked for. Kingsolver entered her first published work, entitled “Why We Need a New Elementary School,” which gave an account of how her grade school’s ceiling plaster fell and injured her teacher. This essay was printed in the local newspaper and ensured that the school bond passed.
She lived in many countries during her childhood years as her father donated his services as a physician to needy people. The most memorably exotic place she lived in was the Republic of Congo, in 1963. There she was in a remote village of thatched-roof houses with no electricity, plumbing, automobiles, or school. Her parents had to procure their daily food from wherever they could. They stayed in Congo in support of the newly independent African democracy. This experience was a fantastic adventure for Kingsolver because of the many exotic creatures she could stalk, and a village of fascinated kids who played with her. These experiences gave her both a sense of the world beyond her small hometown and an uneasy status as an outsider in a peer-group that valued conformity.
These experiences in the Congo possibly led to her interest in the Congo and eventually got her to write The Poisonwood Bible. She probably was baffled by the underdevelopment of the Republic of Congo and she must have gotten interested in the effect of colonialism and independence to the country.
Kingsolver began to write and publish poetry, short fiction stories and eventually the novel The Bean Trees. From then on she became very successful and published many other novels and books.
Just as Yanyan and Arno have previously mentioned, I believe that Kingsolver's experience of having lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the action of actually writing the Poisonwood Bible are directly related. Being born in Maryland in 1955 relates her to the Price family which composes the backbone of her storytelling. I believe that her experiences in the Congo directly correlate to the ones which she writes about, as at the age of seven, she moved to the Congo due to her father being a travelling physician, where she "suffered" and enjoyed what could be regarded as identical events as the Price family.
ReplyDeleteTherefore Kingsolver's novel could be regarded as containing very high levels of accuracy due to the primary sources it contains. The direct experiences which she conveys throughout, intricately woven in with her thorough knowledge of the Congo's turbulent history is very effective. For example, Kingsolver left studying classical piano playing to immerse herself into biological studies, the notion of studying biology is mirrored by Adah, who ends up studying a similar topic.
I deeply believe that it was the perennial impact and everlasting impression which living in Africa leaves in a foreigner that urged Kingsolver to write this novel during her stay in the Spanish Canary Islands.
By David N
Barbara Kingsolver has had a very fantastic life. Barbara was born on April 8, 1955, in Annapolis, Maryland. Barbara had reached out when she was young to earn a biology degree in university and since then she has worked as a freelance writer and author since 1985. She has lived all over the world including: England, France, and the Canary Islands, and she has worked in Europe, Africa, Asia, Mexico, and South America. And now she lives in southwestern Virginia. As a young child, Barbara already had a gift of writing as she had one of her works published in the local newspaper. Kingsolver moved to the Republic of Congo (now known as Democratic Republic of Congo) when she was seven years old because her dad took a job working in a public health capacity. As a young child Barbara lived with no water, electricity, food or automobiles. This experience for her living in the Congo may have inspired her to write the book The Poisonwood Bible. Kingsolver had always wanted to write a novel based and set in Africa, and she found the perfect opportunity in 1991 when her family moved to the Canary Islands just off the coast of Africa. Here, she began to do research about her African project coming up. Her end result thus being, The Poisonwood Bible, which has been an international success, translated in two multiple languages and has been a novel studied in schools around the world. Kingsolver began to start writing and publishing poetry, short fiction stories and eventually the novel The Bean Trees. From then on she became very successful and published many other novels and books around the world.
ReplyDeleteBarbara Kingsolver often writes her books with strong relevance to her own life and experiences and this is no different with The Poisonwood Bible. After having read several biographies I observed that of all the characters that Kingsolver uses to narrate the novel are reflected in her personality and experiences in some way or another, except perhaps Rachel who is portrayed in the worst light and even the readers have difficulty trying to make connections with her character.
ReplyDeleteRuth May is essentially Barbara Kingsolver’s 2nd grade self as she went with her family to central Africa as a young child. It can easily be presumed that this experience is the base for most of the idea’s and events that occur in the village life including the 5th day market and the way many of the locals are maimed. Perhaps young Barbara was deathly afraid of green mambas the way Ruth May is in the novel and maybe she played mother may I with the village children.
Leah and Adah seem to be derived from Kingsolver’s life as a biologist and writer. They have many similarities to her professional career with their interests in books and their exceptional intellect. They also compare to her personality as a political activist as they seem to understand the Congo better than the other Price’s. I also think that they resemble Kingsolver as all three were outcasts as kids.
Orleanna is also drawn from Kingsolver in several ways. They both share a love of gardening and flora and it is Orleanna who feels the most strongly about the American involvement in the Congolese independence.
The story itself is meant to teach the reader about the atrocities in the Congo among other things. This is reflective of Kingsolver’s activism in political issues and she is trying to spread her ideals through the novel.
Kingsolver was born in Maryland and later moved to Kentucky. Her interest in literature, including reading and writing existed since she was a young child. Her high calibre in writing was very prominent and even had a piece of work published in one of the newspapers.
ReplyDeleteKingsolver moved to the Congo when she was young, the first link relating her The Poisonwood Bible. Her life in the Congo is suggested as being hard, with no electricity and water, and this is the same in the case of the Price family. Her history also says that she learnt a lot from the Congo which changed her whole perspective of life making her what she is today, a humble and straightforward person. In the same way, some members of the Price family experienced a change in their thinking and hence a change in their life. Her apparently righteous ways can be related to the fact that the Price family in that they are a religious symbol in the story.
Just like Adah studied in the field of biology, Kingsolver also got a degree in the same field. Another relation of her life is that of her to Ruth May. She used to be an outgoing person as a child in the Congo; she climbed trees and was friendly with the village children, which are very resembling features of Ruth May. The villagers also used to deem Kingsolver and her family in weird sort of way due to their very ‘alien’ skin colour which can be linked to the fact that the Price family were also treated differently due to the white skin colour.
These are some links to what Kingsolver’s life has to do with her story, The Poisonwood Bible, in which her qualities and what she has been through is very visible.
Barbara Kingsolver, was born on April 8th in 1955. She was born in Annapolis, Maryland. Kingsolver worked hard to get many biology degrees in university and has been a writer since 1985. Barbara Kingsolver is extremely international since she has lived in over five different country's. She has lived in England, the Canary Islands, France, mexico, and different places in south america. Barbara Kingsolver currently lives in Virginia.
ReplyDeleteKingsolver entered her first published work, entitled “Why We Need a New Elementary School,” in grade school. Her written piece was printed in the local newspaper. This was Barbara's first local written article.
Barbara moved around as a kid, and the most memorable place she lived in was the republic of Congo. Barbara moved there in 1963. The memorable events she lived through in Congo led her to writing the famous novel The Poisonwood Bible. Kingsolver wrote the book as she was shocked by the effect of colonialism in Congo.
Kingosolver did not only write the famous novel, but is also well known for her poetry and short stories.
Barbara Kingsolver is a well known author and has been very successful in her lifetime.
Barbara Kingsolver, born April 8, 1955 in Annapolis, Maryland, is an American writer. She is known for a series of socially engaged novels, short stories, poems and essays. After her birth in Annapolis, her family moved to Carlisle in 1956, a village of Kentucky. Barbara was seven when her family leaves to the Congo for two years, where her parents work in a hospital. After high school, Barbara Kingsolver won a scholarship to pursue music studies at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. She trained as a classical pianist. As she realizes how little chance there is to succeed in this environment, she redirects to biology. Thus in 1977 she obtains a Bachelor of Science. After continuing her studies in ecology and biology at the University of Arizona, she became a science writer before completing The Bean Tree.
ReplyDeleteWhen B. Kingsolver came back from the Congo she recalls seeing the world from a totally different perspective, she felt like all the things people of Kentucky cared for were probably considered useless back in the Congo, she felt like the Congolese probably considered her hideous because of the color of her skin (just like Rachel in The Poisonwood Bible). She has written her novels, short stories, poems and essays by her interest in social differences. The poisonwood bible was a book inspired by all the things she had observed as a child in the Congo.
Noemie Fontenelle
Barbara Kingsolver was born in Annapolis, Maryland on April 8, 1955, and she grew up in Carlisle, Kentucky where "The options were limited-grow up to be a farmer or a farmer's wife." Kingsolver was determined to get out and see the world. She has lived and worked in five different continents. Her distant travels include living in the Republic of Congo for a short time, due to her father’s job as an epidemiologist who volunteered to help those in dire need. Her time in the Republic of Kenya created the inspiration for the novel, The Poisonwood Bible. She lived in a situation similar to the Prices, her family moved right from rural Kentucky to a home in a small village with no cars, schools, electricity and running water. She says of her experience: “I was ignorant of politics but initiated to cultural difference.” She developed a connection to Africa reminiscent of Orleanna’s longing for Africa, since she returned to Kentucky where she was “an outsider in a peer-group that values conformity.”
ReplyDeleteIn 1973, she attended DePauw University on a classical music scholarship and went to grad school at the University of Arizona, and she received degrees in biology in each. In DePauw she began to cultivate an interest in writing, which she expanded on in a UA class taught by the author Francine Prose.
Kingsolver says her novels do not mirror her life story "There are little things that people who know me might recognize in my novels ... but my work is not about me.” She wants to embellish her experiences and build on what she knows to create her stories, but not just relate her exploits. “If we can't, as artists, improve on real life, we should put down our pencils and go bake bread.”
Barbara Kingsolver was born on April 8, 1955; she was born in Annapolis, Maryland. Kingsolver was raised in rural Kentucky in a town named Carlisle. When Kingsolver was seven years old, her parents who were both working in the field of public health capacity, her family moved to the former Republic of Congo, which is now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo. Here is where her and her family really experienced what it was like to live without running water and without electricity. Here is where Kingsolver, possibly gets her inspiration for her most famous book The Poisonwood Bible.
ReplyDeleteAfter living in the Congo her and her family moved back to rural Kentucky. After graduating from high school, Kingsolver decided to leave Kentucky. She believed that if she were to stay in Kentucky, she would either become a farmer or a farmer’s wife. So she decided to leave and go to Indiana where she attended the DePauw University in Greencastle. She went to this University on a music scholarship, where she was studying classical piano.
After Kingsolver graduated, she traveled to Europe where she lived in Greece and France. While she lived in these places she published, worked as a copy editor, a typesetter, and a medical document translator. She also worked as an X-Ray technician and biological researcher.
When Kingsolver came back to the US, she moved to Arizona where she enrolled at the University of Arizona, where she got her master’s in biology.
Throughout Kingsolver’s life she always loved to write and read. While in University she took classes in writing such as a creative writing class. While in Arizona she continued to be a political and social activist. When she started her first book it was in the early 1980’s, this book was an extension of her interests of being a political and social activist. After finding that it was hard to find a job with some of her interests, this is when she started writing as a serious profession. In 1985 Barbara Kingsolver married Joe Hoffman who is a chemistry professor at the University of Arizona. Soon after Kingsolver became pregnant with her daughter Camille, while pregnant she suffered from insomnia. Her suffering from insomnia she wrote her first novel, The Bean Trees. Many of Kingsolver’s earlier novels were based on some sort of political statement.
Kingsolver and her daughter, decided to move to Tenerife, which is in the Canary Islands. While here Kingsolver got her inspiration for her book, which she had wanted to do for a while, this book was based on a family living in Africa. From this came her bestseller The Poisonwood Bible, The Poisonwood Bible which was much like her life living in Congo, is set in the Congo before and during the Congo while gaining their independence. The family is a missionary family, there to help the people believe in God. Much like Kingsolver’s family the Prices lived without running water and without electricity. From this book Kingsolver became an international success, her book has been translated into two dozen multiple languages and her books have been studied in schools around the world.
Naomi Sallay
Barbara Kingsolver, an American novelist, was born in 1955 in Maryland. She was brought to Republic of Congo, along with her family, by her father.Her father was a physician and worked in public health capacity in Congo. The family had to go through a tough time while living in Congo. They had to live without electricity and tap water.
ReplyDeleteShe did her graduation from DePauw University, Indiana in Music but later changed her major to biology.
Her first novel, The Bean Tree, was published in 1988 which was also based on a woman from Kentucky, trying to escape Kentucky to go to Arizona. Kingsolver is also known as a poet and an essayist. Even as a child she wrote several short stories and essays, which were published in the local newspapers.
Her life in Congo is a major link to The Poison wood Bible. Similar to the Price family, Kingsolver's family also had to suffer while in Congo. Both the families were Americans and were brought to Congo because of their profession. Her childhood was very similar to that of the Price girls. Her childhood influenced many of her books and the characters, especially The Poison wood Bible. The characteristics of Ruth May were highly influenced by the Kingsolver's adventurous life in Congo. Just like the price family, even Kingsolver's family wasn't completely accepted by the Congolese, because of their white skin. Both the families had to go through similar hardships while they lived in Congo.
The Poisonwood Bible is Kingsolver's one of the best known books. It was selected for Oprah's book club.The book won the 2000 Boeke Prize as well.
Barbara Kingsolver was born in April 8, 1955 in Maryland, but grew up in rural Kentucky. Her father loved gardening and she took interest in it as well when she grew up. When she was seven, her family moved to Democratic Republic of Congo because of her father's job. There, the family lived without electricity or running water for many years.
ReplyDeleteBecause of the rural environment Kingsolver grew up in, she wasn't exposed to many things. For example; she didn’t see a tennis court until she went to college. Therefore, Kingsolver was an outcast socially and was interested in reading and writing from the early age.
After graduating from High school, Kingsolver attended a university in Indiana. She changed her major from classical piano to biology while in college. She often wrote poems in the margins of her textbooks and took interest in becoming a writer.
After graduating college, she traveled to Europe and lived in France. Then she settled in Arizona where she was enrolled at the University of Arizona and earned a Master's degree in Ecology.
Kingsolver started her writing career in mid 80's as a since writer for the university. This eventually led to more writing and she started writing fictions after winning a short story contest in a local newspaper.
Kingsolver got married to her first husband in 1985 and had a daughter, Camille. Her Husband and she got divorced in 1992 but soon after she remarried and had another daughter, Lily. Currently, Kingsolver and her family reside in Washington where she continues her career as a writer.
Her most popular and best selling book was the Poisionwood Bible and it was drawn from her experience in Africa. .It won many awards including, UK's Orange Prize for Fiction 2010, for The Lacuna and the National Humanities Medal. Even though each character was somewhat influenced by her experience, the character of Adah especially is similar to Kingsolver herself in many ways. They are both interested in reading and writing, they view the world from different perspectives, they are socially outcasts and they have same interest in science. In her interview with New York Times she mentioned that, “the character I’m most fond of is Adah” and said “I identify with Adah’s cool biological eye. She is standing still at the eye of the storm. I identify with Orleanna the older I get, filled with worry and regret. And every woman has a little bit of Rachel in her."
Many people find it hard to remember that anyone of the slightest fame is still a real human, with a back story, interests, and passions, like the rest of us. Barbara Kingsolver is renowned throughout the world for her gifted literary prowess and her captivating novels, yet few people care to learn of the complexities of her character. Kingsolver is extremely varied in her interests. She is an activist for peace and passionate about preserving the environment. In addition, she studied both piano and biology in college, all the while honing her skills as a journalist. In my opinion, the most beneficial training that a writer can have is copious experience in a broad range of activities. In this way, their writing can resonate with a broad range of people.
ReplyDeleteIt is an effective literary technique for authors to draw from their own personal experiences when creating a relatable and believable work. Learning about Barbara Kingsolver’s childhood adds another layer of depth, if that is even possible, to The Poisonwood Bible. Her parents took her to the Congo at a young age, just as Nathan took the Price girls. The fact that she personally lived through some of the phenomena she describes, such as the ever-present hunger and the influx of the kakakaka, allows her to construct more powerful imagery. There is a huge difference between someone who has lived through it and remembers the vivid details, like Kingsolver, and someone who has simply read about it and tried to recreate it. Her personal life also adds to the believability of the characters, as each one can be viewed as a manifestation of some part of her own personal character. I believe that her background in Biology helped to construct Adah, who has a love for science deeply entrenched in her character. Her early childhood in Maryland could have helped her to visualized this typical, well-meaning, religious Southern family that would be so out of place in the wilderness of the Congo. Orleanna shares Kingsolver’s own passion for gardening. There are so many tidbits of Kingsolver’s life that extend to her story in intricate ways that the book may well say more about her personality, dreams, and desires than a straightforward autobiography would.
Barbara Kingsolver was born in 1995 in Maryland. However shortly after she was born, she grew up in rural Kentucky. Throughout her adult life she has lived in England, France, and the Canary Islands, and as a child, in many more countries. Kingsolver has worked in Europe, Africa, Asia, Mexico, and South America. As a child, Kingsolver was encouraged to read by her parents for educational purposes. At the early age of 8, Barbara Kingsolver began keeping a journal. She was very enthusiastic in any writing assignments that she received in school. She entered in almost every school essay contest. Barbara Kingsolver’s first work titled “Why We Need a New Elementary School” was written when she was in elementary school and was published in the local newspaper. In 1963, Kingsolver moved with her parents to the Congo where her dad worked as a physician for people in extreme need. The family lived in a remote village of thatched-roof houses, no electricity, plumbing or cars. Her parents had to deal with smallpox, leprosy and finding sufficient food for the family. Kingsolver and her siblings played with the local kids of the village. Her family then moved back to the United States where Kingsolver finished high school and then in 1973 entered DePauw University in Indiana on a piano scholarship, however she soon changed her major to biology. She became a scientific writer and in the mid-80’s she began publishing poems, short fictional stories and journalism. She had a degree in Biology. Later in life, Barbara Kingsolver was the editor for the Best American Short Stories in 2001. She also was rewarded a number of awards from the American Booksellers Association, the American Library Association, and others. The Poisonwood Bible won the national book award of South Africa and was named an Oprah Book Club selection. Kingsolver currently lives in Virginia with her husband, Steven Hopp, and two daughters Camille and Lily.
ReplyDeleteKingsolver’s childhood had a large impact on The Poisonwood Bible. Her experience in the Congo as a child obviously greatly impacted her views of the Congo and of the village in her book called Kilanga. It also greatly influenced the ways in which Kingsolver describes the small village of Kilanga and the diverse Congo forest. Kingsolver’s father, as well as her childhood in the rural areas of Kentucky influenced her views of nature, which were very prevalent throughout the novel. Her experience in the Congo and her interests in biology also probably influenced Kingsolver’s view of the Congo forest. Kingsolver’s relationship with her daughters might have also impacted her descriptions of Rachel, Leah, Adah and Ruth May throughout the book. Kingsolver was always a strong writer, even at a young age, which played out to influence her career later in life as she became a well-known writer.
Bersabel Behonegne
ReplyDeleteBarbra Kingsolver was born in Kentucky and has lived in Europe, Africa, Mexico and South America. She has published many works from the time that she became a writer in 1985, and is most famous her for the several awards she has won. These include the National book award of South Africa, the James Beard award, the National Humanities Medal and even had one of her books chosen to be on the Oprah Book Club list! Barbra Kingsolver is a very successful writer that is known as one of the best writers of the 20th century. Her novel the Poisonwood Bible was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Orange Prize. Barbra Kingsolver studied biology at the University of Arizona and worked as a freelance writer before she published her first books. Kingsolver also worked as a housecleaner, medical laboratory technician, a translator and a scientific writer before she became an internationally known writer. One of Barbra Kingsolver’s biggest inspirations was American poet, Henry David Thoreau who spoke mainly about western philosophy and natural history. Kingsolver enjoys writing about people in relation to land and this explains why she wrote the Poisonwood Bible. Barbra Kingsolver had also lived in the Congo for a brief time during her childhood, and was exposed to the colonial Zaire that it was known as before the struggle for independence had begun. This shows us that Barbra Kingsolver enjoys writing through her experiences. Her first novel, The Bean Trees was written during her pregnancy as she battled with insomnia. Her following novels were all very famous; several of them were even translated into over 12 languages. Currently Barbra Kingsolver lives on a farm in Virginia with her family.
Barbara Kingsolver was born on April 8, 1955, in Annapolis. Ironically enough, she was born during the year when Congolese educated-elites began their acts of rebellion against Belgian rule. Even though there may not be any direct correlation between the two events, Kingsolver may have felt a strong connection to the actual date of the rebellious acts for it is her date of birth.
ReplyDeleteHaving read multiple biographies, one could suggest the resemblance between her life and the life of the price family. Kingsolver was surrounded by people who worked in the field of science. Her mother was a doctor and her two husbands, one of which she divorced, studied in the fields of biology and chemistry. Furthermore, Kingsolver worked as a reporter and free-lance writer, showing her definite interests in the area of literature. Her passions as an individual are been made visible in the Poisonwood Bible through the character of Adah, who at a young age is interested in the writing of Emily Dickinson and biology. Perhaps the actual significance of this character maybe be underestimated when it comes to portraying the author personal interests.
Kingsolver also worked as a journalist and as a political and social activist. She wrote about the strike of the unionized copper workers against the Phelps Dodge Corporation of Arizona. When writing this report, she mainly focussed on the female union workers and documented their hardships and accomplishments over the course of the strike. This shows how Kingsolver was indeed an activist and had the will power to ‘fight the power’ in such a way that she could stand up for what she believed was right. This may be symbolized by Nathan’s oppressive attitude towards things, where men are in control and women have the power to respond and fight back.
succesfull writing is always written from experience, after looking at kingsolvers background i have seen not only is the poisonwood bible a background of her childhood it also reflects on the charecter that barbara kingsolver is. from looking at her childhood and how her passions were of reading books e.g. her fathers medical books we can see a relation to adah and her passion for science this can be seen as kingsolver took up biology later on in life. however i feel not only adah is present in the charecter of kingsolver i feel all the charecters have some relation to kingsolver e.g. ruth may can be seen as her early youth side in which she was always finding "more animals to stalk" . from experiencing a life in the congo in which she felt all the experiences of the price family e.g. lack of food, lack of electricity, water problems. i feel this makes the writing of the poisonwood bible more convincing to myself as the reader. as we gain not just an informed account of what it was like. instead we gain "the true grit of it all" in her writing as from reading the book and now looking at her childhood i can see how her experiences are reflected in the writing of the poisonwood bible as the book is in an entirety a reflection of her own personal experiences with the congo. just read the book and you will know what i am saying the language is that of someone whom experienced not of someone whom heard. this leads me to believe that barbaras experience in the congo as a child is unquestionable seen through her work in the poisonwood bible. it pays off to live in africa by looking at the success of this book, it makes me want to write one. cole.
ReplyDeleteBarbara Kingsolver is a writer who started writing was she was eight years old. She did this by writing a journal. She would also always be the student who gave in the most written tasks. Her first published work “Why We Need a New Elementary School.” This was published in a newspaper. After this, she started living around the world since her father was physician who gave free services to the needed people. By what she says, the most memorable place that she had ever lived was the Republic of Congo during 1963. She said that all the experiences there were memorable and that she would never forget anything from there. When she was living there, the village in which she stayed had absolutely nothing, no electricity plumbing or schools. The houses were made of thatched-roof and she lived in very “poor” conditions. Being in this country has given her many different aspects of the African cultures and has helped her a lot when it comes to writing her books. The experiences that she had with all the different kids that played with her and all the animals she saw really fascinated her. All these experiences is what most probably led her to the writing of the poisonwood bible. She was most probably also shocked by the political problems that happen in the Republic of Congo, and from there got the inspiration to write the political problems that we experience through part of the novel. So after this book, Barbara Kingsolver went on to writing more poetry, more novels, and some short fiction stories. Most of them, as she said, have been influenced by the trips that she has done and the different places she has lived in.
ReplyDeleteAlberto Rossi
Barbara Kingsolver was born in Maryland, 1955, the family soon moved to Kentucky. She has lived in many countries including The Democratic Republic of Congo (the setting of the Poisonwood Bible), Britain and France. She is currently living in Arizona.
ReplyDeleteWhile Kingsolver lived in the Congo, she lived a very simple life. Her parents worked in the public health as doctors. They had to grow their own food, and live with no electricity, cars or plumbing in a remote part of the Congo. She grew up playing with the local congolese kids.
Kingsolver finished school in 1973 in the United States and went to university on a piano scholarship. She later changed her major to Biology as “"classical pianists compete for six job openings a year, and the rest of [them] get to play 'Blue Moon' in a hotel lobby.”( “At lunch with Barbara Kingsolver”, The New York Times, 6th December 2010). After graduating in 1977 she moved to France, then back to the United States. In 1980 she enrolled at the University of Arizona where she got a Masters in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology.
Admist all of this she has married twice, first to Joseph Hoffmann in 1985 and had one daughter by him called Camille who was born in 1987. She divorced him in 1992 and remarried one Steven Hopp whom she also had a daughter with named Lily.
She wrote as a science writer during the 1980’s. After winning a fiction contest in a local newspaper she began to take on writing as her Career. Her list of books is endless, begining in 1988 with Bean Trees and her most recent book being “The Lacuna” (Published in 2009). In between there are more than ten books. Her works have been included in many literature curriculums and collages throughout the USA (and have also evidently been adopted by the IB).
-Ami Waltham
okay so Barbara Kingsolver was born in 1955 and grew up in rural kentucky. she was highly educated and earned degrees in biology from two uni's, one being DePauw University and then other, The University of Arizona. Aside from the science department Kingsolver worked as a freelance writer and author since 1985. Kingsolver has beena nd worked in many countries which could possibly make her knowledged in different cultures etc, she has lived in: England, France and the Canary Islands, and has worked in Europe, Africa, Asia, Mexico, and South America. She has written a numerous amount of books and her works have been translated into two dozen languages, and that could only possibly mean that her novels were popular. The Posionwood Bible was awarded greatly. Interestingly enough Kingsolver lived formally in the congo in her early childhood, which makes sense now as to why she had written a book based there. i did a little bit of google-ing and it said that Barbs never wanted to be famous and she still doesnt, but the universe rewarded her with what she dreaded most...how bizzare. Anyways, i can now see that she had a passion about the Congo and its independance i suppose as in the poisonwood bible she talks about how the congo is opressed as it is the belgian congo and does not have independance. From knowing that barbara spent her childhood in the congo i can connect the dots and see that she must have experienced part of the political whirlwind that went down.
ReplyDeletei just realised my blog isnt 300 words..so to speak Kingsolvers dad was a doctor and actually the only one in Nicholas County. The garden her father grew was one she became extremely interested in as she grew up. Kingsolver loved music and even had a scholarship in piano but chose biology because of the lack of careers for a person with a music degree. Kingsolver was a sensitive and intelligent child but an outcast socially as she liked to read and write.
ReplyDeleteBarbara Kingsolver is a famous American writer and has written many books, essays, short stories, poetry and opinion pieces. Poisonwood bible was a best seller for a long time and also selected as a finalist for the Pulitzer and Pen/Faulkner awards.
ReplyDeleteAlthough a famous writer Barbara Kingsolver was not really educated to become a writer. She studied Biology and continued her graduate studies in Biology and Ecology at the University of Arizona. Barbara always loved writing and it is no surprise that her first job was as a journalist of the scientific journal.
She then became the scientific writer for a number of newspapers and journals and won an award for the best feature writer for scientific articles. However, her true love lies with story writing (fiction or realistic fiction). She used to write science articles to earn a living and fiction for fun in the evenings.
It took Barbara a long time to write the poisonwood bible. She felt that her wisdom was not great enough the complete this story and that she needed time. She was encouraged by her husband to continue with this book and it became one of her best and most popular books. Her style of writing, the story is told through multiple voices is typical for the American Indian style of writing. The poisonwood bible also reveals that Barbara has some political motives and is a strong supporter of real democracy and freedom. She is not scared of taking strong political opinions in the Poisonwood bible. She questions the role of her own country and condemns what the superpowers have done to the Congo.
Barbara Kingsolver is a talented writer, with a strong political opinion and the ability to write about a variety of subjects.
Emily Simpkins
ReplyDeleteKingsolver, born in 1955, grew up in rural Kentucky but also lived in The Republic Of Congo as a small child as her father worked in medicine. She is rather international as she has lived in England, France, and the Canary Islands, and has worked in Europe, Africa, Asia, Mexico, and South America. However she now lives in southwest Virginia. As a child she was always reading, every book she could get her hands on. She has been writing since childhood and her first works were published in a newspaper when she wrote an essay entitled “Why We Need A New Elementary School,” when she was 8. She traveled a lot as a child and followed her father in his profession. She got into University based on a Piano scholarship but soon changed her major to biology. She only took one creative writing class, which she loved however thought that becoming an author was an unrealistic dream. She did not start really freelance writing until 1985
Since then she has published 14 books since then and has won numerous awards and has exceptional reviews including—“Kingsolver was named one the most important writers of the 20th Century by Writers Digest, The Poisonwood Bible was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, the Orange Prize, and won the national book award of South Africa, before being named an Oprah Book Club selection. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle won numerous prizes including the James Beard award. In 2000 Kingsolver received the National Humanities Medal, our country’s highest honor for service through the arts. In 1998 she established the Bellwether Prize for fiction.” By researching Kingsolver’s childhood, it reveals how many of her characters in The Poisonwood Bible relate to herself as a child. She said she was always curious about nature and brought creatures into the house and kept them, just as Ruth May does. Also her fascination for literature and books feeds into the characters of both Adah and Leah. Both of them read anything they can get their hands on. Also another obvious connection between her life and the book is the fact that she lived in Congo as a child. Even though she claims not to remember much about it, the things she did remember must have been incorporated into the story.
I posted up an entry last night, and today I decided to check and realized that it didn’t upload at all. I therefore had to re-write it again.
ReplyDeleteWriting a story as deep, intricate, and relevant such as The Poisonwood Bible is not something that simply occurs in my author’s lives. Barbara Kingsolver is however one of these authors who has managed to create such a strong piece of literature. She believes in the power of literature and mentions herself “That is the main thing readers want, I think: wisdom. When I pick up a book, I want it to rock my mind. That only happens if the author knew something I didn’t.” She definitely employs this in her work since The Poisonwood Bible is certainly something not simple.
Barbara Kingsolver has lived in various places through out her life, and I suppose it is this opportunity to travel that also sparked her interest to write a novel about a family in a new setting. Actually I believe that the fact that she has moved around the world so much allowed her to be able to step into the Price family’s shoes when they first arrived in the Congo because of how well she described what it felt to be lost and disoriented when one is new somewhere. She has even lived in the Congo for some time when she was a child and for her “it was just an adventure.” I take this experience in the Congolese jungle to be an inspiration for how she described Kilanga and the life conditions there. I also think that Ruth May’s perspective could have very much been based on her own and her experiences as a child in the Congo. However, she claims that The Poisonwood Bible has absolutely nothing at all to do with her own life or herself. She actually claims that everything was invented. I find that this fact is also very interesting because in order to become wiser through what she writes she reaches beyond her own life and seeks to increase her experience by living through her own characters.
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ReplyDeleteThis is the second part to my entry...
ReplyDeleteShe is a very curious person and one that is eager to learn from the world. She does so by asking herself questions and she then answers them by writing a whole story. In the case of the Poisonwood Bible, she is passionate about politics and is intrigued about morality. She therefore explores a theme that very much concerns us as being part of a consumer society that boasts of what it has now without recognizing how it got it. She more specifically puts this thought into words by setting her research question as “How does one make peace with the terrible things one country does to another, when we’ve profited from them but weren’t responsible?” She did require some initial research in order to approach this topic as best as she could which involved familiarizing herself with the American culture of the 50’s and 60’s, visiting Western and Central Africa, and spending hours practicing each character’s particular voice in order to make the literature piece more authentic. However, the bulk of the moral of the story is learned from the emotional experiences of the characters in regards to the situation. That is why I find that the answer to the question is learned throughout the novel. It’s as if Kingsolver as well as the reader learn their lesson by experiencing it along with the characters. She describes what she does with the contrasting perspectives of the Price girls as “a moral conversation” that would of course enhance the overall outcome of the story. In my opinion by the end of the book one learns that it is not too late for our generation to redeem itself and be more humble of what it has.
Barbara Kingsolver truly loves writing and this is apparent from all her books and how many awards most of them have received. Her only purpose in writing is described by her as the following: “You’ve got plenty of other things to do, I know, so here is our deal: No matter what else I’m delivering inside the covers of a book, I promise also to make you laugh out loud at least once, cry some in private, and burn whatever you left on the stove.” Barbara Kingsolver understands the true essence of literature which is sharing an emotional experience which in the end is to make us a lot wiser over what it means to be human, such as in The Poisonwood Bible where one explores the egoistic side of human nature as well as the emotional unsteadiness that goes along with it. Kingsolver shows us that literature is a way to go beyond ourselves and learn a lot from our forever favorite past time – story telling.
Barbara Kingsolver born in 1955 in Annapolis, Maryland grew up in the currently named Democratic Republic of Congo from the age of seven. There her family lived without running water and electricity, experiencing the political turmoil that ensued during that time. She considered her self a social outcast, also being academically intelligent, being a very good writer. Some of her favorite writers include Carson McCullers and Flannery O'Connor. Her experiences in the Congo would provide a great influence for her writing in the future. Due to her rural upbringing, working on her father’s garden and living in the Congo, she wasn’t even exposed to a tennis court until she was in college. She attended DePauw University in Indiana, initially studying classical piano switching to a major in biology due to the limited job opportunities offered for pianists. After graduating, she traveled to Europe for the first time visiting Greece and France. Here she worked as a medical document translator, x ray technician, biological researche, copy editor, and a bit on publishing. She returned to the University of Arizona, taking another writing class and then She graduated with a masters in ecology and evolutionary biology. She then worked as science writer for her school’s arid studies department.
ReplyDeleteIn 1985 she married Joe Hoffman, and while pregnant with their first child wrote her first published work Bean Trees. In 1989, her second novel Holding the Line: Women in the Great Arizona Mine Strike was published. Kingsolver’s followers were attracted to her combination of political and personal storylines.
I believe Kingsolver’s international exposure, especially her time growing up in the Congo influenced the Poisonwood Bible. She has involved herself politically, openly protesting against the Vietnam War.
Seeing how foreign nations and people adversely affect other nations, personally must have influenced her to write the Poisonwood Bible as the adverse effects of foreigners is a theme throughout her book. Adah perhaps was largely based off her herself as they both were social outcasts and secondly, they both studied biology, and have a great appreciation for the sciences.
Housam Silim
Barbara Kingsolver was born in 1955 in Kentucky and grew up there, just like any other kid. At seven years of age, her father took her and the family to live in the Republic of Congo for one year. Her college years she spent at DePauw University in Indiana. Here she started off with studying classical piano but then changed course to continue with a major in biology in when realizing the low job opportunities she would have as a pianist. After graduating she left for France and spent a year in the country. Finally she returned to the states, settling down in Arizona and enrolling in the graduet school at the University of Arizona where she started a career as a freelancer. Kingsolver marries twice, to Joseph Hoffman in 1985, and later after a separation from him, to Steven Hopp in 1995. She now has two children, Camille and Lily and is today resident in Virginia
ReplyDeleteThrough her whole life, Kingsolver loved writing and even as a child she kept a journal and as a teenager wrote stories and essays. She tried several different careers, such as copy editor, archeologist and biological researcher and it was first after this she had her real breakthrough. While pregnant with her first daughter she wrote The Bean Tree, which was gladly received by both critics and readers. After this fantastic start of her career as an author she also wrote books like Animal Dream(1990) , Pigs in Heaven(1993) and of course her bestseller The Poisonwood Bible.
Barbara Kingsolver lived in many places during her life and like many others tried several different careers. She was also engaged in social activism in different areas and had many interests in quite varied areas such as piano and science. The Poisonwood Bible is her most know work and is not autobiographic but is based on her early years in the Congo. As a child and youth Kingsolver saw herself as a bit of an outsider and the different female characters in the novel, in some ways reflect different sides of her personality, in particular Adah. Her experiences of different life styles all over the world, and especially in Kentucky, have to have influenced all her works in many ways made them as well written as they are. Her fine balance between social and political concerns has been praised by many and put every single one of her books after 1993 on New York Times Best SellerList
Barbara Kingsolver was born on the 8th of April, 1955. She attended the university of Arizona and DePauw University where she earned degrees in biology. At the young age of seven her father took her along with her family the Republic of Congo which mirrors what she writes in the poison wood bible where Nathan takes his family as well. However, even though it may seem as the story takes place near an area where Kingsolver lived; the story is not an autobiography.
ReplyDeleteBarbara Kingsolver started writing in the 1980’s, she mostly focused on science and wrote papers for her university and she only began writing fiction after she won a short story contest in a Local Phoenix news paper. Due to certain frustrations with the Gulf war and with America’s military involvement she then moved to the canary island along with her husband and her daughter. This frustration she bears against the American military involvement is clearly depicted throughout the novel where she constantly criticizes the Americans invading the Republic of Congo. Even the fact the she created an ignorant and selfish character such as Rachel demonstrates her annoyance with the perspectives fellow Americans have towards the rest of the world.
The fact that Barbara Kingsolver decided to write the Poisonwood Bible portrays not only her desire to illustrate the different kinds of perceptions the Americans had, through the five character in the novel, but also an interest in other cultures around the world. It is as if living outside North America changed her opinion and outlook on the world and she decides to share this different opinion and outlook through the Poisonwood Bible. Sahan Weliwita