Annie Dillard, a contemporary nature writer of major significance, combines the study of nature with readings in theology, philosophy, and the sciences. Dillard writes primarily narrative nonfiction essays, but her literary contributions include a memoir, poems, and a novel. Her most characteristic books, however, are imaginative nonfiction narratives--witnessings or accounts, stories, and speculations. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (1974) won her a Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction in 1975, and while Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is a landmark in Dillard's career, her writing continues to mature.

Dillard, born Meta Ann Doak on 30 April 1945 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is the oldest of three daughters of Frank and Pam Lambert Doak. The family--of Scotch-Irish, French, and German roots--provided Dillard with a strong sense of intellectualism and adventure. Frank Doak was a minor corporate executive; his passions were Dixieland jazz, taking his boat down the Mississippi, dancing, and telling jokes. Pam Doak loved dancing and...