Jane Smiley
author profile
born
September 26, 1949
gender
female
place of birth
The United States
genre
Literature & Fiction
about this author
Jane Smiley (born September 26, 1949) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist.
Born in Los Angeles, California, Smiley grew up in Webster Groves, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, and graduated from John Burroughs School. She obtained a A.B. at Vassar College, then earned a M.F.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. While working towards her doctorate, she also spent a year studying in Iceland as a Fulbright Scholar. From 1981 to 1996, she taught at Iowa State University. Smiley published her first novel, Barn Blind, in 1980, and won a 1985 O. Henry Award for her short story "Lily", which was published in The Atlantic Monthly. Her best-selling A Thousand Acres, a story based on William Shakespeare's King Lear, r...more
Sign up for Goodreads to pick your favorite quotes and books by Jane Smiley.
avg rating: 3.50
| 11,647 ratings
| 1,571 reviews
| 38 distinct works
|
19 fans
More books by Jane Smiley…
|
A Thousand Acres: A Novel by Jane Smiley avg rating 3.56 — 5,386 ratings — published 1991 27 editions |
my rating: |
|
Moo by Jane Smiley avg rating 3.43 — 1,297 ratings — published 1995 18 editions |
my rating: |
|
Horse Heaven by Jane Smiley avg rating 3.78 — 615 ratings — published 1999 20 editions |
my rating: |
|
Ten Days in the Hills by Jane Smiley avg rating 2.46 — 595 ratings — published 2007 14 editions |
my rating: |
|
Good Faith by Jane Smiley avg rating 3.18 — 453 ratings — published 2003 9 editions |
my rating: |
|
The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton: A Novel by Jane Smiley avg rating 3.54 — 383 ratings — published 1998 20 editions |
my rating: |
|
Duplicate Keys by Jane Smiley avg rating 3.16 — 391 ratings — published 1984 12 editions |
my rating: |
|
The Age of Grief by Jane Smiley avg rating 3.79 — 311 ratings — published 1987 8 editions |
my rating: |
|
The Greenlanders by Jane Smiley avg rating 3.78 — 265 ratings — published 1988 10 editions |
my rating: |
|
Ordinary Love and Good Will: Two Novellas by Jane Smiley avg rating 3.97 — 204 ratings — published 1989 11 editions |
my rating: |
upcoming events
No scheduled events.
"Many people, myself among them, feel better at the mere sight of a book."
— Jane Smiley (13 Ways of Looking at the Novel)
— Jane Smiley (13 Ways of Looking at the Novel)
"A child who is protected from all controversial ideas is as vulnerable as a child who is protected from every germ. The infection, when it comes- and it will come- may overwhelm the system, be it the immune system or the belief system."
— Jane Smiley
— Jane Smiley
tags:
teaching
9 people liked it
"Like most of the educated, I do harbor a fondness for the sins of my ignorant past."
— Jane Smiley
— Jane Smiley
topics mentioning this author
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 Books A Year: Frankie's 50 April 2009 - April 2010 | 8 | 48 | May 16, 2009 06:50PM | |
| The Next Best Boo...: What's your favorite female author or favorite book by a woman? | 90 | 440 | Jun 20, 2009 07:43PM | |
| Novel Ladies: books with numbers in the title | 21 | 36 | Jul 04, 2009 08:38AM | |
| Novel Ladies: Jan's Reading Log - 2009 | 13 | 23 | Jul 11, 2009 07:05AM | |
| Novel Ladies: July 2009 | 177 | 67 | Aug 02, 2009 07:50AM | |
| The Next Best Boo...: The Last Letter Game | 1263 | 1142 | Aug 20, 2009 12:29PM | |
| 100+ Book Challenge: Susan's 100+ Reading Challenge | 84 | 184 | 18 hours, 3 min ago | |
| Busy as a Bee Books: Brag About Your Book Deals (aka Lisa's area) | 167 | 30 | 9 hours, 49 min ago | |
| Novel Ladies: I Just Finished...Do You Recommend It? | 2031 | 121 | 3 hours, 46 min ago | |
| Novel Ladies: Whatcha readin' right now? | 1872 | 120 | 3 hours, 44 min ago |
































