Kaye Gibbons
Encyclopedia
Kaye Gibbons is an American
novel
ist. Her 1987 debut, Ellen Foster
, received the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction
from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, a Special Citation from the Ernest Hemingway
Foundation, and the The Louis D. Rubin, Jr. Prize in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
. Gibbons is a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers
, and two of her books, Ellen Foster and A Virtuous Woman
, were selected for Oprah's Book Club
in 1998.
Gibbons was born in Nash County, North Carolina
, and went to Rocky Mount Senior High School
. She attended North Carolina State University
and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, studying American and English literature. Gibbons has three daughters.
Gibbons has bipolar disorder
, and notes that she is extremely creative during her manic phases, in which she believes that everything is instrumented by a "real magic". Ellen Foster was written during one such phase.
In November 2008, Gibbons was arrested on prescription drug fraud charges. According to authorities, Gibbons was taken into custody on November 2, 2008, while trying to pick up a fraudulent prescription for the painkiller hydrocodone. She was sentenced to a 90-day suspended sentence, 2 years probation, and a $300 fine.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist. Her 1987 debut, Ellen Foster
Ellen Foster
Ellen Foster is a 1987 novel by American novelist Kaye Gibbons. It was a selection of Oprah's Book Club in October 1997.-Plot introduction:The novel follows the story of Ellen, the first person narrator, a young white American girl living under unfavorable conditions somewhere in the rural...
, received the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction
Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction
The Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction is awarded by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The $5,000 prize is given for the best published first novel or collection of short stories in the preceding year...
from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, a Special Citation from the Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
Foundation, and the The Louis D. Rubin, Jr. Prize in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
. Gibbons is a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers
Fellowship of Southern Writers
The Fellowship of Southern Writers is a literary organization founded in 1987 in Chattanooga, Tennessee by 21 Southern writers and other literary luminaries...
, and two of her books, Ellen Foster and A Virtuous Woman
A Virtuous Woman
A Virtuous Woman is a novel by Kaye Gibbons, and was chosen as an Oprah's Book Club selection in October 1997....
, were selected for Oprah's Book Club
Oprah's Book Club
Oprah's Book Club was a book discussion club segment of the American talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, highlighting books chosen by host Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey started the book club in 1996, selecting a new novel for viewers to read and discuss each month. The Club ended its 15-year run, along with...
in 1998.
Gibbons was born in Nash County, North Carolina
Nash County, North Carolina
Nash County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is part of the Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 87,420. Its county seat is Nashville.- History :...
, and went to Rocky Mount Senior High School
Rocky Mount High School
Rocky Mount High School is a public high school in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Established in September 1953, the school is in Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools.It is currently a member of the Big East 3-A Athletic Conference.-History:...
. She attended North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, studying American and English literature. Gibbons has three daughters.
Gibbons has bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
, and notes that she is extremely creative during her manic phases, in which she believes that everything is instrumented by a "real magic". Ellen Foster was written during one such phase.
In November 2008, Gibbons was arrested on prescription drug fraud charges. According to authorities, Gibbons was taken into custody on November 2, 2008, while trying to pick up a fraudulent prescription for the painkiller hydrocodone. She was sentenced to a 90-day suspended sentence, 2 years probation, and a $300 fine.
Works
- Ellen Foster (1987)
- A Virtuous Woman (1989)
- A Cure for Dreams (1991)
- Charms for the Easy Life (1993)
- Sights Unseen (1995)
- On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon (1998)
- Divining Women (2004)
- The Life All Around Me (2005)