Kingsolver, Barbara (1955- )

US writer. Her novels depict family and political struggles and contain rich descriptions of natural surroundings, especially in the southwestern USA. These include Bean Trees (1988), Animal Dreams (1990), and Pigs from Heaven (1993). Her later novels include The Poisonwood Bible (1999) and The Prodigal Summer (2000).

Kingsolver grew up in rural Kentucky and attended DePauw University in Indiana, where she became active in protests against the Vietnam War. Later she received a Masters of Science degree from the University of Arizona and worked as a scientific writer and journalist. Her non-fiction works include Holding the Line: Women in the Great Arizona Mine Strike of 1983 (1989), High Tide in Tucson: Essays from Now or Never (1995), and Small Wonder: Essays (2002). She also published the short story collection Homeland and Other Stories (1989) and the poetry collection Another America (1992).