Джудит Блум: Жизнь и творчество американской писательницы.

American writer of children, young adult and adult works (born 1938)

Judith Blume (née Sussman; born February 12, 1938) is an American writer of children's, young adult, and adult fiction. Blume began writing in 1959 and has published more than 26 novels. Among her best known works are Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (1970), Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (1972), Deenie (1973), and Blubber (1974). Blume's books have significantly contributed to children's and young adult literature. She was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2023. Blume was born and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and graduated from New York University in 1961. As an attempt to entertain herself in her role as a homemaker, Blume began writing stories. Blume was one of the first young adult authors to write novels focused on such controversial topics as masturbation, menstruation, teen sex, birth control, and death. Her novels have sold over 82 million copies and have been translated into 32 languages. Blume has won many awards for her writing, including the American Library Association (ALA)'s Margaret A. Edwards Award in 1996 for her contributions to young adult literature. She was recognized as a Library of Congress Living Legend and awarded the 2004 National Book Foundation medal for distinguished contribution to American letters. They are praised for teaching children and young adults about their bodies. There have been several adaptations of Blume's novels, including Tiger Eyes, released in 2012 with Willa Holland starring as Davey,

Blume was born Judith Sussman on February 12, 1938, and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the daughter of homemaker Esther Sussman (née Rosenfeld) and dentist Rudolph Sussman. Her family is Jewish. Blume witnessed hardships and death throughout her childhood. Throughout her childhood, Blume participated in many creative activities such as dance and piano. A few weeks into the first semester, she was diagnosed with mononucleosis and took a brief leave from school.

After college, Blume gave birth to daughter Randy Lee Blume in 1961 and became a homemaker. In 1963, her son Lawrence Andrew Blume was born. Blume began writing when her children began nursery school. They divorced in 1978. A few years later, a mutual friend introduced her to George Cooper, a former law professor turned non fiction writer. Blume and Cooper were married in 1987. Cooper has one daughter from a previous marriage, Amanda, to whom Blume is very close. Six weeks after her diagnosis, Blume underwent a mastectomy and breast reconstruction. Randy Blume became a therapist with a sub specialty in helping writers complete their works. She has one child, Elliot Kephart, who is credited with encouraging his grandmother, Judy Blume, to write the most recent "Fudge" books. Lawrence Blume is now a movie director, producer, and writer. As of 2021, Cooper and Blume resided in Key West.

A lifelong avid reader, Blume first began writing through New York University courses when her children were attending preschool. Following two years of publisher rejections, Blume published her first book, The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo, in 1969. A year later, Blume published her second book, Iggie's House (1970), which was originally written as a story in Trailblazer magazine but then rewritten by Blume into a book. In 1975, Blume published the now frequently banned novel Forever, which was groundbreaking in young adult literature as the first novel to display teen sex as normal. Blume explained that she was inspired to write this novel when her daughter, 13 years old at the time, said she wanted to read a book where the characters have sex but do not die afterward. These novels tackled complex subjects such as family conflict, bullying, body image, and sexuality. Despite its popularity, Summer Sisters (1998) faced a lot of criticism for its sexual content and inclusion of homosexual themes. Several of Blume's books appear on the list of top all time bestselling children's books. As of 2020, her books have sold over 82 million copies and they have been translated into 32 languages. As well as writing, Blume has been an activist against the banning of books in the United States. The element in her work readers are said to love most is Blume's openness and honesty regarding issues like divorce, sexuality, puberty, and bullying. For example, Deenie (1973) explained masturbation and Forever (1975) taught young women about losing their virginity. It’s Not the End of the World (1972) helped many kids understand divorce and the Fudge book series explored the various aspects of loving siblings despite the rivalry. When her first books were published in the 1970s, Blume has recalled facing little censorship. Since 1980, Blume's novels have been a central topic of controversy in young adult literature. Critics of Blume's novels say that she places too much emphasis on the physical and sexual sides of growing up, ignoring the development of morals and emotional maturity. Forever is censored for its inclusion of teen sex and birth control. Blume recalls that the principal of her children's elementary school would not put Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret in the library because the story involves menstruation. The ALA Margaret A. Edwards Award recognizes one author who has made significant contributions to young adult literature. Blume received an honorary doctor of arts degree from Mount Holyoke College and was the main speaker at their annual commencement ceremony in 2003. In 2004 she received the annual Distinguished Contribution to American Letters Medal of the National Book Foundation for her enrichment of American literary heritage. In 2009, the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) honored Blume for her lifelong commitment to free speech and her courage to battle censorship in literature. In 2020, Blume was named an Honoree for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community by the Authors Guild Foundation. Forever is the story of two teenagers in high school, Katherine Danziger and Michael Wagner, who fall in love for the first time. The series starred Jake Richardson as Peter Warren Hatcher, the storyteller, and Luke Tarsitano as Farley Drexel "Fudge" Hatcher. This was the first of Blume's novels to be turned into a theatrical feature film. Tiger Eyes is the story of a teenage girl, Davey, who struggles to cope with the sudden death of her father, Adam Wexler. The screenplay was co written by Blume and her son, Lawrence Blume, who was also the director. Blume is the subject of the 2018 song "Judy Blume" by Amanda Palmer. Thematically, the song explains to the listener Blume's role in Palmer's adolescent life. She is the subject of the documentary film Judy Blume Forever, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. was released as a feature film in 2023.