Gary Paulsen Biography – Gary Paulsen Wiki
Gary Paulsen born Gary James Paulsen was an American writer of young adult literature, best known for coming of age stories about the wilderness. He is the author of more than 200 books and has written more than 200 magazine articles and short stories, and several plays, all primarily for teenagers. He won the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1997 for his lifetime contribution in writing for teens.
He has authored some fragmented autobiographical works, such as Eastern Sun, Winter Moon: An Autobiographical Odyssey. The book, which is written in the first person, begins when he was seven, living in Chicago with his mother. Paulsen described several traumatic occurrences that transpired during the three years that are chronicled by the book. For example, one day while his mother was napping, Gary sneaked outside to play. There a vagrant snatched him and apparently attempted to molest him, but his mother suddenly appeared on the scene and beat the man to death. Paulsen reported his mother’s many adulterous affairs in Eastern Sun, suggesting that the man he called “father” was not really his biological father. He also discussed his mother’s alcoholism. He told how she would bring him to a bar and had him sing for his supper, even though she had an income from her work in an ammunition factory, and he felt there was no need for this.
When World War II ended, Gary’s father sent for him and his mother to come to join him in the Philippines, where he was stationed. A great part of the book is dedicated to the voyage by naval vessels to the Philippines. During the trip, he witnessed a plane crash. He, his mother, and the people who were also being transported on this ship (yacht) looked on as many of the airplane’s passengers were killed or maimed by the sharks that would follow the ship consuming waste. His mother, the only woman aboard, helped the ship’s corpsman care for the surviving victims. After arriving in Hawaii, according to Paulsen, his mother started an affair with the corpsman.
While in elementary school, he was quite deficient in literacy class and struggled with it. The accounts in Eastern Sun ended when Gary and his mother left Manila. Bits and pieces of Gary’s adolescence can be cobbled together in Guts: The True Stories Behind Hatchet and the Brian Books. In that book, he discusses how he survived between the ages of twelve and fourteen back in Minnesota. He barely mentions his parents except to say that they were too busy being drunk to stock the refrigerator. He worked several jobs during this time, including setting pins at a bowling alley, delivering newspapers, and working as a farmhand. He bought his own school supplies and a .22 single-shot rifle, which he used to hunt for sustenance. In the end, he gave up the rifle and manufactured his own bow and arrows, which he used to hunt deer.
Much of what is known about Paulsen’s life was revealed in the prologues and epilogues of his own books. In The Quilt, one of a series of three novels based on summers spent with his grandmother, he recounts what a tremendous influence his grandmother had on him. It is difficult to say how factual an autobiography The Quilt is intended to be, as Paulsen is supposed to have been six years old in this story and yet he made references to events found in Eastern Sun, which is supposed to have been set later. He also refers to himself, in this book, in the third person and only as “the boy”.
Much of his work features the outdoors and highlights the importance of nature. He often uses “coming of age” themes in his novels, where a character masters the art of survival in isolation as a rite of passage to manhood and maturity. He was critical of technology and has been called a Luddite.
The Hatchet series, or Brian’s Adventures, five novels published from 1987 to 2003, comprises some of Paulsen’s best-known work. Dogsong (1985), My Life in Dog Years (1998), The Winter Room (1989), and Harris and Me (1993) are four of his many other popular novels. Woodsong (1990) and Winterdance (1994) are among the most popular books about the Iditarod.
The ALA Margaret Edwards Award recognizes one writer and a particular body of work for a “significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature”. Paulsen won the annual award in 1997 when the panel cited six books published from 1983 to 1990: Dancing Carl, Hatchet (first in the series), The Crossing, The Winter Room, Canyons, and Woodsong. The citation noted that “the theme of survival is woven throughout, whether it is living through a plane crash or living in an abusive, alcoholic household” and emphasized Hatchet in particular for “encompassing a survival theme in all its aspects, physical as well as psychological”
Three of his books were runners-up for the Newbery Medal, the premier ALA annual book award for children’s literature: Dogsong, Hatchet, and The Winter Room. (The American Library Association distinguishes children’s and young adult literature in its awards for lifetime contribution from 1988; in its annual book awards, this has only occurred since the inauguration of the Printz Award in 2000.)
Gary Paulsen Age
He was born Gary James Paulsen on May 17, 1939, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., and died on October 13, 2021. He was aged 82.
Gary Paulsen Wife
He lived with his wife, Ruth Wright Paulsen whom he married in 1971. She illustrates children’s literature, in La Luz, New Mexico. (ALA reported Tularosa, New Mexico in 1997.) He also spent some time living on a houseboat on the Pacific Ocean. Even though Paulsen was a successful author, he said he chose to live modestly.
Gary Paulsen Children
He is survived by his children Lance Paulsen, Lynn Paulsen, and James Wright.
Gary Paulsen Death
He died on October 13, 2021, at the age of 82. The news of his death was made public by the publishing company Penguin Random House. The publisher termed his death as being sudden. The cause of death was not disclosed.
Gary Paulsen Cause of Death
His publisher Penguin Random House said it was “sudden” but did not give a cause. He died on October 13, 2021, at the age of 82.
