Carson Rachel life and biography

Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist and nature writer whose writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement.

Carson started her career as a biologist in the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, and became a full-time nature writer in the 1950s. Her widely praised 1951 bestseller The Sea Around Us won her financial security and recognition as a gifted writer. Her next book, The Edge of the Sea, and the republished version of her first book, Under the Sea Wind, were also bestsellers. Together, her sea trilogy explores the whole of ocean life, from the shores to the surface to the deep sea.

Although she intended to study creative writing at the Pennsylvania College for Women, Rachel Carson ended up pursuing her love of the natural world through Biology. And, after receiving her BA in the field, she continued her studies at Johns Hopkins University and obtained an MA in 1932. Little did she or anyone else predict that her strengths at writing and her observant biological eye would see her latter publications The Sea Around Us and Silent Spring shoot to the top of the bestseller lists.

As she grew up in the wooded areas of rural Pennsylvania, the young Rachel often found solace in the natural world. Her mother encouraged her to pursue her dreams and often encouraged the child to go out and explore the world around her. Upon graduation from High School, where she discovered her own love of reading and writing, her later change in majors would see her doing postgraduate biological research at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory.

In the mid 1930s, Carson worked with what would become the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She worked with the organization for over fifteen years. Her remaining years with the organization were spent being the editor of their national publications. During her tenure, she submitted an article that was published in the Atlantic Monthly. With her love of writing and her newfound inspiration of wanting to share her findings, she decided to publish her first book called Under the Sea-Wind.

Rachel Carson’s books were all widely reviewed and praised. Her style was something new to both the mainstream and scientific community in that she could reach both. Her prose has been called lyrical, elegant, and thorough. The Sea Around Us, besides being a bestseller, won America’s National Book Award, was translated into over 25 languages, and distributed extensively abroad. Silent Spring has been called her most prominent work for its visionary approach at telling the world the realities of industry, pesticides, and chemical dumping on nature. A national campaign by pesticide companies could not come close to matching the fervor with which her book was read and sold.

Centennial Celebration Events

Rachel Carson Centennial Celebration events were kicked off in the fall of 2006 in Washington DC and New York City with presentations of the play, A Sense of Wonder, based on the life and works of Miss Carson. The planned events to be held across the nation in 2007 include:

* Rachel Carson Scholars — NMF is partnering with the Maryland State Department of Education to recognize and reward the next generation of scientific and literary scholars who embrace her message of environmental stewardship and activism. Find out more about the Rachel Carson Scholar Program.
* A Night on Capitol Hill — NMF, actress/playwright Kaiulani Lee, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service are welcoming the 110th Congress with a special performance of A Sense of Wonder on May 9, 2007. Find out more about this performance.
* A Regional Tour of the Play — In partnership with actress/playwright Kaiulani Lee, NMF is taking A Sense of Wonder to communities, organizations and universities throughout the mid-Atlantic states. Find out more about productions of the play that are planned
* Rachel Carson Day — NMF is working with local and state governments to declare May 27, 2007, Rachel Carson Day, a pesticide-free day in communities across the nation
* Generating awareness of the relevance of Rachel Carson’s message today — NMF is encouraging magazines, newspapers and editorial staffs to highlight the importance and continued relevance of Miss Carson’s work.

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