Paula Fox facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paula Fox
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| Born | April 22, 1923 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | March 1, 2017 (aged 93) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Period | 1966–2011 |
| Genre | Children's literature; novels, memoirs |
| Notable works |
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| Notable awards | Newbery Medal 1974 Hans Christian Andersen Award 1978 |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 3; including Linda Carroll |
| Parents | Paul Hervey Fox (father) |
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Paula Fox (born April 22, 1923 – died March 1, 2017) was an American writer. She wrote many novels for both adults and children. She also wrote two memoirs, which are true stories about her own life.
Paula Fox was very famous for her children's books. In 1978, she won the international Hans Christian Andersen Award. This is one of the highest honors a children's book creator can receive worldwide. She also won other important awards for her books. In 1974, she received the Newbery Medal for her novel The Slave Dancer. She also won a National Book Award in 1983 for A Place Apart. In 2008, her book A Portrait of Ivan won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in Germany.
In 2011, Paula Fox was honored by being added to the New York State Writers Hall of Fame. This Hall of Fame celebrates important writers from New York. Her adult novels, which had been out of print for a while, became popular again in the mid-1990s. This happened because new American writers admired her work.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Paula Fox was born in New York City on April 22, 1923. Her mother, Elsie De Sola, was from Cuba and worked as a screenwriter. Her father, Paul Hervey Fox, also wrote screenplays and taught English. After her parents divorced, her father had more children with his second wife.
When Paula was born, her mother did not want to raise her. Her parents left her in a home for babies. Luckily, her grandmother, Candelaria de Sola, was visiting New York. She rescued Paula. Paula then moved around a lot, living in Florida, Cuba, and other parts of the U.S. Since her grandmother could not provide a home herself, she gave baby Paula to Reverend Elwood Corning and his mother in Balmville, New York.
Reverend Corning was kind to Paula and taught her many important things. When she was five years old, she visited her parents. This meeting was very difficult for her. She later wrote in her memoir, Borrowed Finery, that her mother treated her very badly.
Later in her life, around 1944, Paula Fox lived with the famous acting coach Stella Adler. She became friends with Marlon Brando, who was also studying there. Paula became pregnant and decided to give her baby, Linda Carroll, up for adoption. Linda Carroll grew up to be an author and therapist. She is the mother of the musician Courtney Love. This means Frances Bean Cobain is Paula Fox's great-granddaughter.
Writing Career
Paula Fox went to Columbia University from 1955 to 1958. She married Richard Sigerson and had two sons with him. Later, she married Martin Greenberg, who was a literary critic and translator. For many years, she worked as a teacher and helped children who were having difficulties.
Paula Fox did not start writing her first novel until she was in her 40s. Her first novel was called Poor George. It was about a schoolteacher who finds a new purpose in helping a troubled teenager. The book was well-liked by critics. However, it did not sell many copies. This was a common pattern for all her adult novels. Her next book, Desperate Characters, was also praised by critics. By 1992, all six of her adult novels were no longer being printed.
In 2011, she was inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame. The famous author Jonathan Franzen helped to get some of her books re-released.
Paula Fox passed away in Brooklyn on March 1, 2017, at the age of 93.
Books Made into Movies
Some of Paula Fox's books have been made into movies.
- A Portuguese movie called Coitado do Jorge was made in 1993. It was based on her novel Poor George.
- Her book Desperate Characters was made into a movie in 1971. It starred the actress Shirley MacLaine.
Paula Fox's Books
Paula Fox wrote many books for both children and adults.
Children's Books
- 1966 Maurice's Room
- 1967 How Many Miles to Babylon?
- 1967 A Likely Place
- 1968 Dear Prosper
- 1968 The Stone-Faced Boy
- 1969 Hungry Fred
- 1969 The King's Falcon
- 1969 Portrait of Ivan
- 1970 Blowfish Live in the Sea
- 1973 Good Ethan
- 1974 The Slave Dancer
- 1978 The Little Swineherd and Other Tales
- 1980 A Place Apart
- 1984 One-Eyed Cat
- 1986 The Moonlight Man
- 1987 Lily and the Lost Boy (also called The Lost Boy)
- 1988 The Village by the Sea (also called In a Place of Darkness)
- 1991 Monkey Island
- 1993 Western Wind
- 1995 The Eagle Kite (also called The Gathering Darkness)
- 1997 Radiance Descending
- 1999 Amzat and His Brothers: Three Italian Tales
Memoirs (True Stories of Her Life)
- 2001 Borrowed Finery
- 2005 The Coldest Winter: A Stringer in Liberated Europe
Adult Novels
- 1967 Poor George
- 1970 Desperate Characters
- 1972 The Western Coast
- 1976 The Widow's Children
- 1984 A Servant's Tale
- 1990 The God of Nightmares
- 2011 News from the World: Stories and Essays
See also
In Spanish: Paula Fox para niños
- List of Cuban American writers
- List of Famous Cuban-Americans
