Andrea Lee (author) facts for kids

Andrea Lee (born in 1953) is an American author. She writes novels, short stories, and memoirs. Her stories often take place in different countries. They explore ideas about race, culture, and what it means to belong to a country or feel like a foreigner.

Andrea Lee's Early Life

Andrea Lee was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1953. She was the youngest of three children in a middle-class family. Her father was a Baptist minister, and her mother was an elementary school teacher. Andrea grew up in an African American family. However, she was often surrounded by many white people. This experience shaped how she saw herself and later influenced her writing. She went to a private school called The Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr.

Education and First Book

After high school, Andrea Lee studied English at Harvard University's Radcliffe College. She earned both a bachelor's and a master's degree. She then decided to follow her dream of living in Europe. In 1978, she moved to Russia for a year with her first husband. While living in the Soviet Union, she kept a diary. She wrote down her thoughts and observations about the people and their culture. These notes became her first book, a memoir called Russian Journal, published in 1981. This book showed her deep understanding of the people around her. Russian Journal was nominated for a National Book Award and won the Jean Stein Award.

Andrea Lee's Writing Career

After returning to the United States, Andrea Lee worked as a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine for several years. She then started working as a freelance writer. She still writes for The New Yorker today. Her work has also appeared in many other popular magazines. These include Gourmet, Allure, W, House & Garden, The New York Times Magazine, Vogue, and Time.

Short Stories and Novels

Andrea Lee's short stories have been chosen for important collections. For example, "Winter Barley" was in The Best American Short Stories 1993. "Brothers and Sisters Around the World" was in The Best American Short Stories 2001. "Anthropology" appeared in The New Granta Book of the American Short Story in 2007.

Her first novel, Sarah Phillips, came out in 1984. This book has parts that are similar to Andrea Lee's own life. It tells the story of an African-American woman from Philadelphia. Her father is a minister, and her mother is a teacher. The main character marries a white man she met at Harvard. They travel to Russia together. The novel explores the same questions about identity that Andrea Lee herself thought about. It also looks at feelings of being alone and not fitting in. The character tries to understand her Black identity while living in a mostly white culture.

In 2001, she published a collection of short stories called Interesting Women: Stories. These stories focused on African-American women living in other countries, especially Italy. Her stories often show young, educated women from good backgrounds. They explore how these women deal with European societies and questions of race and social class.

Her novel Lost Hearts in Italy: A Novel (2006) also featured Americans traveling in Europe.

Exploring Dreams and Identity

Andrea Lee once said in an interview, "What I like to investigate when I write is what people dream about." She finds it fascinating to write about fantasies. She enjoys exploring the idea of being far away, of being a foreigner, or feeling different. Andrea Lee's writing combines adventure and imagination. At the same time, it deals with important topics. These include race, gender, social class, and identity in our modern world. Her work also shows how these topics can be different in various countries.

Andrea Lee's Personal Life

Since 1992, Andrea Lee has lived in Turin, Italy. She lives there with her Italian husband and their two children.