Published: July 08, 2009 11:20 am      

Vuraunch to portray Pearl S. Buck in Lewisburg

Storyteller and actress Karen Vuranch will bring Pearl S. Buck to life in a living history performance on July 27 at 6 p.m. on the campus of New River Community and Technical College, 101 Church St., Lewisburg.

The program is presented free of charge in partnership with the West Virginia Humanities Council. Pre-registration is required by July 22 by calling 304-647-6570 or 304-793-6101.

Buck was born in Hillsboro to missionary parents and she had the unique experience of living in China during its years of turbulent change. As a child, she immersed herself in Chinese culture and was able to understand it, as few Westerners can.

But, her parents raised her as an American as well. This resulted in Pearl’s profound insight into the conflicts of culture between East and West. Many of Buck’s books, articles and stories dealt with the situations that occur when Eastern and Western cultures meet.

A prolific writer, Buck published 100 novels, 73 short stories and more than 200 articles. She also wrote plays and produced 16 films. She received the Pulitzer Prize for her memorable novel, “The Good Earth,” that captured the experience of the Chinese peasant. And, in 1938, she was the first American woman to receive the Nobel Prize for literature. Until recently, she was the only woman to hold both distinctions.

In addition to her work as a writer, Buck was a humanitarian and social activist. Throughout the 1930s and into the early 1970s when she died, she remained a constant force for positive change in the United States and the world. She is most well-known for her unflagging efforts to improve conditions for children throughout the world. She founded several agencies that helped children of mixed ancestry in Asia and was a leading force in education about mental retardation.

Vuranch brings Buck to life, giving the audiences a glimpse of this amazing woman and the Asian culture she knew so well. It is a moving portrayal of one of the most important women of the 20th century.

In addition to the performance of Pearl Buck, Vuranch is well-known for other portrayals of women in history — Clara Barton, Mother Jones, Mary Draper Ingles, Irish pirate Grace O’Malley and Wild West outlaw Belle Starr.

Vuranch has written two plays about women in history, Coal Camp Memories about life in the West Virginia coalfields and Homefront about women in World War II. She is also an acclaimed storyteller and performs for over 200 schools, colleges, libraries and conferences each year. She is scheduled to bring a presentation on Julia Child to New River in October.

For more information about Vuranch, visit www.wventerprises.com.