Anna Quindlen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anna Quindlen
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Quindlen in 2008
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| Born | July 8, 1952 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Barnard College |
| Occupation | Columnist, novelist |
| Spouse(s) | Gerald Krovatin (m. 1978; div. 2021) |
Anna Marie Quindlen (born July 8, 1952) is an American author, journalist, and opinion columnist.
Her column, "Public and Private," for New York Times won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1992. This is a very important award for journalists. Quindlen started her journalism career in 1974 as a reporter for the New York Post. She worked at The New York Times in different roles for many years. Her novel One True Thing (1994) was made into a movie in 1998, starring famous actors Meryl Streep and Renée Zellweger.
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Anna Quindlen's Life and Work
Anna Quindlen was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 8, 1952. Her parents were Prudence and Robert Quindlen. Her father was Irish American and her mother was Italian American.
Anna graduated from South Brunswick High School in 1970. She then went to Barnard College, graduating in 1974. She married Gerald Krovatin, a New Jersey attorney, whom she met in college. Their sons, Quindlen Krovatin and Christopher Krovatin, are also authors. Their daughter, Maria, is an actress, comedian, and writer.
In 1995, Anna Quindlen decided to leave journalism. She wanted to focus on writing novels full-time.
In 1999, she began writing a column for Newsweek magazine. She wrote for them every two weeks until 2009, when she announced her semi-retirement. Quindlen is known for writing about how fast-paced and focused on things (materialistic) modern American life can be. Much of her personal writing talks about her mother. Her mother passed away from ovarian cancer when Anna was 19 years old.
Books Made into Movies
Anna Quindlen has written ten novels. Several of these books have been turned into movies.
- One True Thing was made into a movie in 1998. Meryl Streep starred in it and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role.
- Black and Blue was made into a TV movie in 1999.
- Blessings was also made into a TV movie in 2003.
One True Thing Novel
In 1994, Anna Quindlen published her novel One True Thing. This book is partly based on her own life. It tells the story of a young woman and her mother, who is dying from cancer.
Anna's own mother, Prudence Quindlen, died in 1972 from ovarian cancer when she was in her 40s. At that time, Anna was a college student. She came home to help take care of her mother.
In 1998, a film with the same name was released. The movie starred Meryl Streep as Kate Gulden and Renée Zellweger as Ellen Gulden. These characters were fictional versions of Prudence and Anna Quindlen. Meryl Streep was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film.
Anna Quindlen's Published Works
Anna Quindlen has written many different types of books.
Nonfiction Books
These books are about real facts and ideas.
- Living Out Loud (1988)
- Thinking Out Loud (1994)
- How Reading Changed My Life (1998)
- Homeless (1998)
- A Short Guide to a Happy Life (2000)
- A Quilt of a Country (2001)
- Loud and Clear (2004)
- Imagined London (2004)
- Being Perfect (2005)
- Good Dog. Stay. (2007)
- Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake (2012)
- Nanaville: Adventures in Grandparenting (2019)
- Write for Your Life (2022)
Novels
These are fictional stories.
- Object Lessons (1991)
- One True Thing (1994)
- Black and Blue (1998)
- Blessings (2002)
- Rise and Shine (2006)
- Every Last One: A Novel (2010)
- Still Life with Bread Crumbs (2013)
- Miller's Valley (2016)
- Alternate Side (2018)
- After Annie (2024)
Children's Books
- The Tree That Came To Stay (1992)
- Happily Ever After (1997)
Pictorial Books
These books combine pictures with text.
- Naked Babies (1996)
- Siblings (1998)
Awards and Honors
Anna Quindlen has received many awards for her writing and contributions.
Journalism and Media Awards
- 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary
- 2001 Mothers At Home Media Award
- 2001 Clarion Award for Best Regular Opinion Column in a magazine
- 2002 Clarion Award for Best Opinion Column from the Association for Women in Communications
Honorary Degrees
Many universities have given Anna Quindlen honorary degrees. This means they recognize her achievements.
- Colby College
- Dartmouth College
- Denison University
- Grinnell College
- Hamilton College
- Kenyon College
- Moravian College
- Mount Holyoke College
- Nantucket High School
- Penn State
- Sarah Lawrence College
- Smith College
- Springfield College
- Stevens Institute of Technology
- Villanova University
- Washington University in St. Louis
- Wesleyan University
Other Recognitions
- University Medal of Excellence from Columbia
- Poynter Fellow in Journalism at Yale
- Victoria Fellow in Contemporary Issues at Rutgers
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- 2006 Amelia Earhart Award from Crittenton Women's Union
- 2016 inductee into the New Jersey Hall of Fame
