Editing Pearl S Buck (section)

== Literary Achievement ==

Buck's literary career produced over seventy books, including "The Good Earth" (1931), which won the Pulitzer Prize and became one of the best-selling American novels. Her depiction of Chinese peasant life, informed by her childhood immersion in Chinese culture, introduced Western readers to perspectives that previous literature had rarely provided. The Nobel Prize for Literature (1938) recognized "her rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China and for her biographical masterpieces." Her Bucks County residence had begun only three years before the Nobel recognition, the farm becoming her base as her international reputation grew.<ref name="conn"/>

Her subsequent work extended beyond Chinese subjects to address themes including racial prejudice, women's rights, and international understanding. Her novels set in America, her biographies, and her children's books demonstrated range that her China work might have obscured. Her writing productivity during the Bucks County years was extraordinary, the farm providing the stability that sustained her output. Her work's critical reputation declined during her lifetime, academic fashion turning against the accessible style that had made her popular, though her significance in introducing Asian perspectives to American readers remains acknowledged.<ref name="spurling"/>

Her humanitarian work, conducted alongside her literary career, included founding the first international interracial adoption agency and establishing the Pearl S. Buck Foundation for children fathered by American servicemen in Asia. These institutional achievements, some headquartered at Green Hills Farm, demonstrated that her commitment to international understanding extended beyond writing to practical action. The Philadelphia region's cultural infrastructure supported these efforts while her fame drew attention that less celebrated advocates might not have commanded.<ref name="conn"/>