Ann Tyler is an American writer and literary critic. During her career, she published 22 novels, the most famous of which were Lunch at Homesick, The Accidental Tourist and Breathing Lessons. In 1898, Tyler received the Pulitzer Prize for her contribution to the development of fiction. The woman is still writing, giving public lectures, and also regularly becomes a member of the jury of literary festivals.
Early biography
Ann Tyler was born on October 25, 1941 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is the oldest of four children in the family. Her father worked as an industrial chemist and her mother worked as a social worker for many years. Both of Ann's parents were Quakers - members of the Protestant movement that arose during the revolution in England and Wales. To further bond with the members of the religious group, in 1948 her family decided to settle in a Quaker commune in the mountains of North Carolina.
There were no government schools in the Tyler area, so Ann did not attend a formal school. However, the girl was educated at home. From an early age, Anne was drawn to art, carpentry and cooking.
At the age of four, Tyler first began writing stories. The girl created stories to then re-read them before going to bed, because there were no children's books in her family's house. In addition, Ann was strictly prohibited from using her mobile phone.
When Tyler was 11 years old, her mother decided to send her to school. From that moment on, the girl became an active user of the school library. It was here that she first became acquainted with the creations of Gabriel Garcia Márquez and Scott Fitzgerald. While in high school, the girl was insanely inspired by her English teacher Phyllis Peacock. The woman was one of the first to appreciate Tyler's writing talent and suggested that she could become a famous novelist.
At the age of 16, Anne entered a private liberal arts college located in Pennsylvania, but in 1960 she received a grant to study at Duke University and decided to move to this educational institution. The parents were very pleased with the success of their daughter, since now they did not have to pay for her education. They were able to concentrate on the upbringing and further education of the other three children. Throughout her writing courses, Anne constantly demonstrated her non-standard vision. Educators often noticed that Tyler was frighteningly mature for her 16 years old, and one of the professors prophetically called her the future star of English literature.
However, in her last year of college, she decided she didn't want to be a writer. She took up painting, visual arts and acting in theater. At Duke University, she played several plays based on works of Russian literature. Subsequently, the girl became so interested in the work of Soviet writers that she entered graduate school at the Faculty of Slavic Studies. Anne completed her term paper a year later and then concentrated on writing again.
Career
Tyler first published her literary work during her student years in Duke magazine. Her short story "Laura" has delighted leading critics and readers alike. After that, Anne continued to regularly publish her small-volume books. One of the author's novellas, "Saints in Caesar's House," won her the prestigious Anna Flexner Award for Creative Writing.
After some time, Tyler got a job at the library at Duke University. At the same time, she began writing her novel If Morning Comes. In the early 60s, the girl met the Iranian psychiatrist Tagi Mohammade. Young people quickly became close, and already in 1963 they officially registered their relationship. Soon after that, Anne was forced to take a creative break, because in 1965 her first child was born, and two years later, her second baby. Together with the children, the couple moved to Baltimore, where Tagi took a job at a local medical school.
At that time, Anne was forced to spend almost all of her time at home and raising children. She did not have the strength to write new works, so from 1965 to 1970 the woman did not write major works. However, she willingly collaborated with magazines and newspapers.
Tyler started writing again in 1970. By 1974, she had published three of her famous novels: Life Escaping, A Spool of Blue Thread, and Heavenly Navigation. According to Ann herself, at that time she managed to significantly improve her author's style. Tyler was offered by many publishers in the United States to be their lead author, but she ignored the suggestions. She wanted to keep writing new books with interesting stories and fantastic characters. Anne also later published popular works such as Lunch at Homesick, Finding Caleb and The Accidental Tourist.
In 1989, her novel "Lessons in Breathing" won the Pulitzer Prize for its great contribution to the development of fiction, and five years later this work was adapted into a television film. After receiving the prestigious award, Anne wrote eight more novels, each of which received positive reviews from critics.
Personal life
Since 1963, Tyler has been happily married to Iranian explorer Tagi Mohammade. The man left his home country at the age of 25 to receive a quality education in the field of psychiatry. After meeting Anne, he also became interested in writing and even published two small novels in Persian.
Tyler and Mohammade are now raising two daughters. One of the girls is professionally engaged in drawing, while the other is fond of art photography. The family currently lives in Roland Park, Maryland.
