Barbara Kingsolver at a Glance

Full Name: Barbara Ellen Kingsolver

Pronunciation: BAR-bruh KING-sawl-ver

Born: April 8, 1955

Nationality: United States

Education:

• DePauw University (BA, Biology)
• University of Arizona (MS)

Genres:

• Fiction
• Poetry
• Creative nonfiction

Biography & Background

Barbara Kingsolver Biography

Barbara Kingsolver was originally born in Maryland but spent the better part of her childhood in rural Kentucky, with brief stints in various international locations due to her father’s career as a physician. She became enamored of the writing process at age eight when she was gifted a journal, and this nascent interest gained momentum as she participated in school essay contests, one submission of which was printed in a newspaper and had an influence on local politics.

She attended DePauw University on a piano scholarship but eventually shifted to a major in biology, earning a bachelor’s degree. She later earned a master’s degree from the University of Arizona and went on to engage in practical writing projects like grant-writing and investigative journalism. Although her writing endeavors expanded into more creative arenas, she did not pursue fiction-writing in earnest until the 1980s, when she secured a literary agent and published The Bean Trees (1988), her first novel.

Over the following decades, her writing career gained considerable momentum.