Pearl S. Buck letter to Frances Perkins, 1939 May 24
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Summary
- Creator:
- Buck, Pearl S. (Pearl Sydenstricker), 1892-1973 and Baskin, Lisa Unger
- Abstract:
- Pearl S. Buck was an American writer best known for her depictions of rural Chinese life. Her bestselling novel The Good Earth was awarded the Pulizer Prize, and she was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (1938). This letter is written by Buck to Frances Perkins, then Franklin D. Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor, the first woman to hold a cabinet post. Buck thanks Perkins for congratulating her on winning the Nobel Prize. She writes that the award, "was given as much to America and China as it was to me."
- Extent:
- 0.1 Linear Feet (1 item)
- Language:
- Materials in English
- Collection ID:
- RL.11427
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection consists of a single autograph typescript letter from the author Pearl S. Buck to the U.S. Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins. Perkins had written to Buck to congratulate her for winning the Nobel Prize in Literature for 1938. Buck responds, "It is very kind of you indeed to write me as you have about the Nobel Prize. It adds a great deal to the pleasure of this award, which I cannot but feel was given as much to America and China as it was to me." Buck's return address is given as "209 The Manor, 333 E. 43rd Street, New York City."
- Biographical / historical:
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Pearl S. Buck was an American writer who was the daughter of missionaries and spent most of her early life in China. She is known as the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning bestselling novel The Good Earth (1932). Buck was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938 for, "her rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China and for her biographical masterpieces." Buck's work helped demystify China to the American public. She also did a great deal of humanitarian work, particularly in the areas of women's rights, adoption, immigration, and peace.
Frances Perkins was an Amiercan sociologist and workers-rights advocate who was the first woman appointed to the U.S. Cabinet. She served Franklin D. Roosevelt as the U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1933-1945.
- Acquisition information:
- The Pearl S. Buck letter to Frances Perkins was received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a purchase in 2015.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Megan E. Lewis, March, 2017
Accessions described in this collection guide: 2015-0050-LUBMSS570
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
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- Preferred citation:
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[Identification of item], Pearl S. Buck letter to Frances Perkins, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.