Marilynne Robinson

Marilynne Robinson
Robinson in 2012
Robinson in 2012
BornMarilynne Summers
(1943-11-26) November 26, 1943 (age 80)
Sandpoint, Idaho, U.S.
Occupation
  • Novelist
  • essayist
Education
Notable awards
Spouse
Fred Robinson
(m. 1967; div. 1989)
[1]
Children2

Marilynne Summers Robinson (born November 26, 1943) is an American novelist and essayist. Across her writing career, Robinson has received numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005, National Humanities Medal in 2012, and the 2016 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction. In 2016, Robinson was named in Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people.[2] Robinson began teaching at the Iowa Writers' Workshop in 1991[3] and retired in the spring of 2016.[4]

Robinson is best known for her novels Housekeeping (1980) and Gilead (2004). Her novels are noted for their thematic depiction of faith and rural life.[5] The subjects of her essays span numerous topics, including the relationship between religion and science, US history, nuclear pollution, John Calvin, and contemporary American politics.

  1. ^ This Life, This World: New Essays on Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping, Gilead, and Home. BRILL. 2015-09-25. ISBN 9789004302235.
  2. ^ 100 Most Influential People Marilynne Robinson Time, April 2016
  3. ^ "UI Writers' Workshop faculty member Marilynne Robinson win quarter-million-dollar award". February 4, 1998. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  4. ^ "Robinson to retire from Iowa Writers' Workshop". Iowa Now. 2016-04-27. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  5. ^ McCrum, Robert (April 2, 2005). "A love letter to lost America". The Guardian. Retrieved March 29, 2016.