Pearl S Buck was born on June 26, 1892, in Hillsboro, West Virginia. Her parents were missionaries and often had to travel to China as a result of which she was proficient in both English and Chinese. Since 1920’s her stories and essays began to appear in magazines such as the The Nation, The Chinese Recorder, Asia, and The Atlantic Monthly. Her first novel was East Wind, West Wind and The Good Earth is her second novel. In 1938, Pearl was the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature. She has produced several novels, books on children literature, poetry, and also her autobiography.
The Good Earth is a novel by Pearl S Buck. The novel is set in China in the times when the last emperor was ruling. It is a compelling story of a honest farmer Wang Lung and his selfless wife O Lan. The book recreates the historical period when huge changes occurred in the last century in China and how it affected its people. It paints a picture of the troubled times Wang Lung and his family face when China is at the brink of a revolution. You can be able relate to Wang Lung’s and his wife’s pain, suffering, pride, and a whole other gamut of emotions. The novel explores the myriad of human emotions like passion, greed, and desires, and how they drive a human being to do good or evil. It is about how the survival instinct can make one fight against all difficulties. The novel was published as export edition in the year 2013 by Washington Square Press. It is available in paperback.
