Conn wins praise for Buck book

The National Book Circle named the work one of the best of 1996. Most people -- including many advanced literary scholars -- know very little about the life and work of Pearl Buck. But English Professor Peter Conn, who has written a book called Pearl S. Buck: A Cultural Biography, is working to change all that -- and the National Book Critics Circle has noticed his efforts. The National Book Critics Circle, an organization of more than 500 critics, editors and freelance writers, named Conn's book to its list of the 25 best books of 1996. The Circle offers awards for works in five categories -- fiction, criticism, general nonfiction, poetry and autobiography/biography, in which Conn's work was nominated. Noting that he was "especially gratified" by the response to his book, Conn called the nomination an honor. "It demonstrates a renewed interest," Conn said. "[Buck] was an extraordinary woman whose erasure from America's cultural history was a grave mistake." Buck, the author of The Good Earth, received both Nobel and Pulitzer prizes for her work. Conn said Buck's writing has had a great influence in shaping American perceptions of Asia -- "perhaps greater ? than any other author in the 19th or 20th centuries." But he also said Buck deserved recognition not only for her contributions as a writer but also as a political activist and humanitarian. Buck was one of an elite group of highly public women in the 1930s and 1940s, according to English Professor David Delaura. English Undergraduate Chairperson Elisa New praised Conn's lucid approach to Buck's life. "Peter is able to describe Buck coming to a kind of feminist consciousness," said New, who added that it was an "incredibly complex portrait." The idea for Conn's book came from his wife's suggestion several years ago that he take notes about Buck when he was trying to find potential topics for future research. But Conn initially rejected the idea, saying, "I didn't think it would be interesting." Yet once Conn began researching Buck's history, he found something exciting or learned something new almost every day -- partly as a result of Buck's work being "hidden" for quite some time. "I am, in a sense, the beneficiary of her neglect," said Conn, who noted that it was unfortunate so little was known about a woman whose "range of accomplishments ? is staggering." Conn's colleagues were impressed by both his research and his subject. "I think it's a wonderful combo ? a terrific read and an exciting and thrilling story," English Professor Rebecca Bushnell said. Delaura attributed the book's success in part to Conn's extensive knowledge of the period, which provided the work with a "richness of background" that few other books about the writer offer. Conn's book has been adapted into a play entitled The Dragon and the Pearl, which premiered last fall. The biography will also be published in a Chinese translation later this year. The winners of the National Book Critics Circle awards will be announced March 18 at the New York University Law School.