Hamilton, Virginia (1936–2002)
Hamilton, Virginia (1936–2002)
African-American children's writer and biographer. Name variations: Virginia Hamilton Adoff. Born Virginia Esther Hamilton, Mar 12, 1934, in Yellow Springs, Ohio; died Feb 19, 2002, in Dayton, OH; attended Antioch College, Ohio State University and New School for Social Research; m. Arnold Adoff (poet), 1960; children: Leigh Hamilton Adoff and Jaime Levi Adoff.
Internationally known writer, was the 1st children's author to receive a MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant (1995); writings, which reflect influence of oral storytelling and focus on African-American history, include Zeely (1967), The House of Dies Drear (1968), The Planet of Junior Brown (1971), M.C. Higgins, The Great (1974), for which she won a National Book Award and the Newbery Award, Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush (1982), The Magical Adventures of Pretty Pearl (1983), Willie Bea and the Time the Martians Landed (1983), The People Could Fly (1985), A Little Love (1985), Many Thousand Gone: African Americans from Slavery to Freedom (1993), The Pizza Place and Back to Your Room; biographies include W.E.B. DuBois: A Biography (1972) and Paul Robeson: The Life and Times of a Free Black Man (1974). Received Edgar Allan Poe Award (1968), Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal (1995), Coretta Scott King Award and Hans Christian Andersen Medal.