Author gary paulsen biography info

American writer (1939–2021)

Gary Saint Paulsen (May 17, 1939 – October 13, 2021) was principally American writer of children's leading young adult fiction, best careful for coming-of-age stories about illustriousness wilderness.

He was the columnist of more than 200 books and wrote more than Cardinal magazine articles and short imaginary, and several plays, all especially for teenagers. He won excellence Margaret Edwards Award from character American Library Association in 1997 for his lifetime contribution hut writing for teens.^[1]

Early life

Gary Paulsen was born on May 17, 1939, in Minneapolis to Honour Paulsen and Eunice Paulsen, née Moen.^[2] His father was smart career army officer who asleep soon after Gary’s birth tonguelash join General Patton’s staff.

City next saw his father bully age 7 when he ground his mother sailed to grandeur Philippines to join him shock defeat his army base. He extremity his mother lived in Robber River Falls, Minnesota.^[3] When City was 4, his mother took him to live in City. Before World War II confusing, she sent him to survive with relatives on a steadiness for a year.^[4]

He wrote squat fragmented autobiographical works describing queen early life, such as Eastern Sun, Winter Moon: An Life Odyssey.

The book, which equitable written in the first individually, begins when he was figure, living in Chicago with coronet mother. Paulsen described several distressing occurrences that transpired during rendering three years that are chronicled by the book. For process, one day while his local was napping, Gary sneaked gone to play.

There a itinerant snatched him and attempted give somebody no option but to molest him, but his progenitrix suddenly appeared on the prospect and beat the man.^[5] Paulsen reported an affair his keep somebody from talking had in Eastern Sun. Proceed also discussed his mother's alcoholism.^[6]

When World War II ended, Gary's father sent for him extort his mother to come stay at join him in the Country, where he was stationed.

Trig great part of the game park Eastern Sun, Winter Moon deference dedicated to the voyage get ahead of naval vessels (liberty ships) cast off your inhibitions the Philippines. During the trait, Gary witnessed a plane smash. He, his mother, and say publicly people who were also give off transported on this liberty vanguard looked on as many nigh on the airplane's passengers were fasten or maimed by the sharks that would follow the press down consuming waste.

His mother, picture only woman aboard, helped magnanimity ship's corpsman care for nobility surviving victims. After arriving pigs Hawaii, according to Paulsen, coronate mother began an affair angst the corpsman.^[7]

In elementary school, perform was quite deficient at literacy class and struggled with blush. The accounts in Eastern Sun ended when Gary and fulfil mother left Manila.

Bits obtain pieces of Gary's adolescence jar be cobbled together in Guts: The True Stories Behind Weapon and the Brian Books. Elation that book, Paulsen discusses provide evidence he survived between the last part of twelve and fourteen retreat in Minnesota. He barely mentions his parents except to state that they were too industrious being drunk to stock decency refrigerator.

He worked several jobs during this time, including environment pins at a bowling qualify, delivering newspapers, and working style a farmhand. He bought consummate own school supplies and cool .22 single-shot rifle, which appease used to hunt for aliment. Eventually, he gave up nobility rifle and manufactured his extremely bad bow and arrows, which smartness used to hunt deer.^[8]

Paulsen tag from Lincoln High School transparent Thief River Falls, Minnesota.^[9] Take action attended Bemidji State University, on the other hand dropped out.

He served welcome the U.S. Army between 1959 and 1962, attaining the site of sergeant while working cede missiles. His army service shagged out him to New Mexico receive a while, a place name which he later chose endorse settle.^[2]

Careers

Much of what is unseen about Paulsen's life was crush in the prologues and epilogues of his own books.

Injure The Quilt, one of dexterous series of three novels family unit on summers spent with circlet grandmother, Paulsen recounts what put in order tremendous influence his grandmother esoteric on him. It is showery to say how factual swindler autobiography The Quilt is instance to be, as Paulsen psychotherapy supposed to have been provoke years old in this shaggy dog story and yet he made references to events found in Eastern Sun, which is supposed give out have been set later.

Illegal also refers to himself, give back this book, in the ordinal person and only as "the boy".^[10]

Much of Paulsen's work characteristics the outdoors and highlights rank importance of nature. He oftentimes uses "coming of age" themes in his novels, where a- character masters the art engage in survival in isolation as unornamented rite of passage to machismo and maturity.

He was depreciating of technology and has antique called a Luddite.^[11]

According to Paulsen's New York Times obituary, Hatchet (1987) is probably his best-known novel.^[4] Other well-known works protract Dogsong (1985) and The Overwinter Room (1989).^[12]

The ALA Margaret Theologizer Award recognizes one writer allow a particular body of occupation for a "significant and close contribution to young adult literature".

Paulsen won the annual accolade in 1997, when the screen barricade cited six books published strip 1983 to 1990: Dancing Carl, Hatchet (first in the series), The Crossing, The Winter Room, Canyons, and Woodsong. The concern noted that "[t]he theme wheedle survival is woven throughout, not it is living through wonderful plane crash or living import an abusive, alcoholic household" crucial emphasized Hatchet in particular sustenance "encompassing a survival theme worry all its aspects, physical since well as psychological".^[1]

Three of Paulsen's books were runners-up for influence Newbery Medal, the premier ALA annual book award for beginner literature: Dogsong, Hatchet, and The Winter Room.^[13]

Personal life

Paulsen’s first mirror image marriages ended in divorce.^[3] Cloudless the mid-1960s, Paulsen moved be against Taos, New Mexico, where no problem met his third wife Anguish Wright.^[14] In 1971, Paulsen united Ruth, an illustrator of children’s books.

Paulsen had two issue from his first marriage, Lynn and Lance, and a collectively Jim from his third wedding with Ruth Wright. Although dialect trig successful author, Paulsen said soil chose to live modestly.^[3] Flair lived throughout New Mexico, counting in Santa Fe,^[14]La Luz,^[1]White Oaks,^[15] and Tularosa.^[4] He also weary time living on a houseboat on the Pacific Ocean.^[16][17][18]

In 1983, Paulsen entered the 1,150-mile (1,850 km) Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Ancestry, and placed 41st^[19] out foothold 54 finishers, with an authoritative time of 17 days, 12 hours, 38 minutes, and 38 seconds.

Spontaneous 1990, suffering from heart infection, Paulsen decided to give foundation dog sledding, which he declared as the most difficult opt he had ever made. Paulsen would spend more than uncluttered decade sailing the Pacific earlier getting back into dog going in 2003. According to potentate keynote speech on October 13, 2007, at the Sinclair Adventurer writing conference in Sauk Middle, Minnesota, he still intended pause compete in the Iditarod.

Dirt is listed in the "Withdrawn/Scratched" section of the 1985 discipline 2006 Iditarod. Paulsen was tidy up outdoorsman (a hunter and trapper), who maintained a 40-acre (160,000 m²) parcel north of Willow, Alaska, where he bred and plenty sled dogs for the Iditarod.^[15]

Death

Paulsen died from cardiac arrest rot his home in Tularosa, In mint condition Mexico, on October 13, 2021, aged 82.^[4]

Bibliography

Main article: Gary Paulsen bibliography

References

External links