Virginia Sorensen facts for kids

Virginia Louise Sorensen (born Eggertsen; February 17, 1912 – December 24, 1991) was an American writer. She wrote many books, including stories for children. Virginia Sorensen won the 1957 Newbery Medal for her children's book, Miracles on Maple Hill. She is known for writing about specific regions and places in America.

About Virginia Sorensen's Life

Virginia Sorensen was born in Provo, Utah. She grew up in other Utah towns like Manti and American Fork. Her mother was a Christian Scientist. Her father was not very active in the Mormon church. Because of this, Virginia often wrote about life from different viewpoints. She once said that she and her siblings felt they had to be extra good. This was because their parents were not active church members. From a young age, Virginia loved to write poems and tell stories.

Virginia went to Brigham Young University. There, she met her first husband, Frederick C. Sorensen. He was an English teacher. Virginia earned a degree in journalism from BYU. For 25 years, she and Frederick moved often for his job.

Her First Books

While living in Terre Haute, Indiana, Virginia published her first novel. It was called A Little Lower Than the Angels. Her publisher, Alfred Knopf, was very impressed. He said he believed she was a major American writer. This novel explored the history of early Mormon life. It was not very popular in Utah. However, it did well in other parts of America. Her biographer, Mary L. Bradford, noted that Virginia wanted to please her Mormon readers. But she was surprised when her book was not well-received.

Virginia Sorensen wrote several books that had Mormon themes. However, she once said that she was not especially interested in Mormons. As a regionalist writer, she found ideas from the places she lived. She often based her characters on people she knew.

Awards and Travels

Her first children's book was Curious Missy. She got the idea for it while helping her county in Alabama get a bookmobile. Her famous book, Miracles on Maple Hill, won the 1957 Newbery Medal. This story was inspired by the Erie, Pennsylvania area where she lived.

Virginia received two Guggenheim fellowships. These are special awards that help writers study and travel. In 1946, she studied a Mexican Indian tribe for her novel The Proper Gods. In 1954, she went to Denmark. She studied the history of settlers in Sanpete Valley. Her collection of short stories, Where Nothing is Long Ago, was seen as personal essays by some. But Virginia said they were fictional stories. From 1966 to 1967, she was a writer-in-residence at the University of Central Oklahoma. This means she was a special guest writer there.

Later Life

Virginia Sorensen had two children with her first husband. Their names were Frederick Sorensen Jr. and Elizabeth Sorensen Herbert. In 1958, she and Frederick divorced. In 1969, she married another author, Alec Waugh, in Rock of Gibraltar. She later changed her religion. Virginia and Alec mostly lived in Morocco. They moved back to the United States in 1980 when Alec's health got worse.

After Alec passed away, Virginia moved to North Carolina. She died there at age 79. Her ashes were buried in the Provo Cemetery. She was laid to rest next to her mother and sister.

In 1991, Virginia Sorensen received an Honorary Lifetime Membership. This was from the Association for Mormon Letters.

Virginia Sorensen's Books