Born: 14 January 1912, United States
Died: 1 January 2007
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Tillie Lerner
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Tillie Lerner Olsen, an American writer and activist, was born to Russian Jewish immigrants in Wahoo, Nebraska in 1912. She was closely associated with the political upheaval of the 1930s and the early American feminist movement. Olsen’s early life was marked by her involvement in Socialist circles and various jobs, including waitressing, domestic work, and union organizing. She joined the American Communist Party in the 1930s and even spent time in jail for her activism. Olsen’s commitment to social and political causes remained a central part of her life.
Olsen’s writing career flourished in the 1960s when she published her first book, “Tell Me a Riddle,” a collection of four short stories that delved into women’s lives and challenges. One of these stories, “I Stand Here Ironing,” earned her the prestigious O. Henry Award in 1961. In 1978, she published “Silences,” a non-fiction work that examined the hurdles faced by writers, particularly women and working-class authors, in pursuing their creative endeavors. She became a teacher and writer-in-residence at various colleges and received numerous honorary degrees, fellowships, and awards, including the Rea Award for the Short Story in 1994. Olsen’s contributions to American feminist fiction and her unique narrative style continue to be celebrated, leaving an enduring legacy in the literary world. She passed away in 2007 in Oakland, California, at 94.