Newbery Medal (John Newbery Medal)
1 appearances
-
Edition 36 (1957) Winner
Virginia Sorensen
ヴァージニア・ルイーズ・ソレンセン
Virginia Louise Sorensen
Aliases:
Virginia Sorenson / Virginia Eggertsen Sorensen / Virginia Sorensen Waugh
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1912-02-17 （Provo, Utah, United States）
- Died
- 1991-12-24 （North Carolina, United States） age 79
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Anglicanism (Church of England) Baptized in 1969
- Residence History
- Provo, Utah (birth) → Manti, Utah (childhood) → American Fork, Utah (childhood) → Terre Haute, Indiana (residence while early novels published) → Peterborough, New Hampshire (artist residency) → Erie, Pennsylvania (lived while writing Miracles on Maple Hill) → Morocco (residence with husband Alec Waugh) → North Carolina, United States (late life, death)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Children's author, Short story writer, Essayist
- Active Years
- 1942-1978
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brigham Young University | — | Journalism | 学士（ジャーナリズム） | — | United States |
Brigham Young University
Journalism
Degree:
学士（ジャーナリズム）
Country:
United States
Received a bachelor's degree in journalism from Brigham Young University
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Newbery Medal | Miracles on Maple Hill | — | American Library Association (ALA) | 受賞 |
| 1946 | Guggenheim Fellowship | Research for The Proper Gods (study of a Mexican Indian tribe) | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1954 | Guggenheim Fellowship | Study of Sanpete Valley settlers' history in Denmark | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1957 | Child Study Award | Miracles on Maple Hill | — | Unknown | 受賞 |
| 1955 | Child Study Award | Plain Girl | — | Unknown | 受賞 |
| 1989 | Phi Beta Kappa (honorary) | — | — | Phi Beta Kappa Society | 授与 |
| 1991 | Honorary Lifetime Membership, Association for Mormon Letters | — | — | Association for Mormon Letters | 授与 |
Newbery Medal
1957
Work:
Miracles on Maple Hill
Organization:
American Library Association (ALA)
Result:
受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
1946
Work:
Research for The Proper Gods (study of a Mexican Indian tribe)
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
1954
Work:
Study of Sanpete Valley settlers' history in Denmark
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
受賞
Child Study Award
1957
Work:
Miracles on Maple Hill
Organization:
Unknown
Result:
受賞
Child Study Award
1955
Work:
Plain Girl
Organization:
Unknown
Result:
受賞
Phi Beta Kappa (honorary)
1989
Organization:
Phi Beta Kappa Society
Result:
授与
Honorary Lifetime Membership, Association for Mormon Letters
1991
Organization:
Association for Mormon Letters
Result:
授与
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
A Little Lower than the Angels
1942 Adult novel (historical / regional)Her debut novel examining Mormon society and individual conflicts; treats Mormon traditions and family relations.
Mormonismregionalismfaith versus doubt
On This Star
1946 Adult novel (regional)Depicts tensions between small-town society and the wider world; follows a returning protagonist struggling to reintegrate. Noted for a melodramatic ending.
returning Mormonfaith and doubtcommunity
The Neighbors
1947 Adult novel (regional)Explores subtleties of human relations in a small community; received some criticism for its wandering narrative.
regional communityinterpersonal relations
The Evening and the Morning
1949 Adult novel (regional)Follows Kate Alexander's search for self and attempts to reintegrate into her hometown; praised by critics and regarded by some as her finest novel.
female self-discoverycommunity and repentance
The Proper Gods
1952 Adult novel (cultural contact / regional research)Based on her research of a Mexican Indian tribe; addresses cultural contact, belief, and ethics.
cultural contactethnographic perspective
Many Heavens
1954 Adult novel (historical / religious)Deals with complex religious beliefs and relationships; exemplifies a shift in the 'returning Mormon' motif.
multiple conceptions of heavenreligion and love
Kingdom Come
1960 Adult novelSet against a Mormon background but is notable as an exception where characters do not undergo a complex faith journey.
religionsocial life
Where Nothing is Long Ago
1963 Short stories (essay-like collection)A collection blending personal experience and emotional insight; described by some critics as close to personal essays.
recollectionpersonal experience
The Man with the Key
1974 Adult novelA later novel; specific details not provided here.
unknown
Curious Missie
1953 Children's literatureA children's story developed from her efforts to obtain a bookmobile; focuses on children's perspective and encountering different worldviews.
childhoodcommunity
The House Next Door: Utah 1896
1954 Children's literature / regional historyA children's book set in Utah incorporating local history and regional detail.
historyregionalism
Plain Girl
1955 Children's literatureA children's novel about growing up and self-discovery; recipient of a Child Study Award.
coming-of-ageidentity
Miracles on Maple Hill
1957 Children's literatureA children's novel about healing and family renewal in the countryside; won the 1957 Newbery Medal and a Child Study Award.
healingfamilyrelationship with nature
Lotte's Locket
1964 Children's literatureA children's book exploring intercultural and interpersonal themes from a child's viewpoint.
child's perspectivefriendship
Around the Corner
1973 Children's literatureOne of her later children's books; specific details not provided here.
everyday lifediscovery
Friends of the Road
1978 Children's literatureA 1978 children's book; specific details not provided here.
friendshipjourney
Bibliography
- A Little Lower than the Angels (1942)
- On This Star (1946)
- The Neighbors (1947)
- The Evening and The Morning (1949)
- The Proper Gods (1952)
- Many Heavens (1954)
- Kingdom Come (1960)
- Where Nothing is Long Ago (1963)
- The Man with the Key (1974)
- Curious Missie (1953)
- The House Next Door: Utah 1896 (1954)
- Plain Girl (1955)
- Miracles on Maple Hill (1957)
- Lotte's Locket (1964)
- Around the Corner (1973)
- Friends of the Road (1978)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- poetic languageemotional insightethnographic eyemoral realismregionalism
- Recurring Motifs
- returning Mormonblind faith versus doubtfemale self-discoverylantern consciousness (observational child perspective)
Legacy
An important regionalist writer in Utah and Mormon literature, best known in children's literature for winning the Newbery Medal for Miracles on Maple Hill. Her adult novels examined intersections between Mormon culture and the wider world and have received scholarly attention.
Museums
- Brigham Young University, Harold B. Lee Library — L. Tom Perry Special Collections (manuscripts) Provo, Utah — Brigham Young University
Academic Societies
- Association for Mormon Letters (honorary member)
Archives
- Brigham Young University, L. Tom Perry Special Collections (manuscripts)
- Library of Congress authority records and various national library entries
In Popular Culture
- Frequently cited in children's literature contexts as a Newbery Medal winner
Quotes
-
As a writer and as a person, I can honestly say that I am not particularly interested in Mormons.
Source: Interview / personal statement
Trivia
- Sometimes credited as Virginia Sorenson.
- Married Frederick C. Sorensen in 1943 (divorced 1958); married author Alec Waugh in 1969 (he died 1981).
- Won the 1957 Newbery Medal for Miracles on Maple Hill.
- Born in Provo but raised in multiple Utah towns including Manti and American Fork.