Jean M. Auel
Encyclopedia
Jean Marie Auel is an American
writer. She is best known for her Earth's Children
books, a series of novels set in prehistoric Europe
that explores interactions of Cro-Magnon
people with Neanderthals. As of 2010 her books have sold over 45 million copies worldwide.
, Illinois
, she is of Finnish descent, the second of five children of Neil Solomon Untinen, a housepainter, and Martha Wirtanen.
Auel attended Portland State University
. While a student, she joined Mensa
, and worked at Tektronix
, as a clerk (1965–66), a circuit board designer (1966–73), technical writer (1973–74), and a credit manager (1974–76). At one time, she shared a secretary with the author Ursula K. Le Guin
. Auel earned an Master of Business Administration
from the University of Portland
in 1976, and she has been awarded honorary degrees from her alma mater, the University of Maine
, and the Mount Vernon College for Women
.
for her first book. She joined a survival class
to learn how to construct an ice cave, and learned primitive methods of making fire, tanning leather, and knapping stone from the aboriginal
skills expert Jim Riggs.
The Clan of the Cave Bear
was nominated for numerous literary awards, including an American Booksellers Association
nomination for best first novel. It was also later adapted into a screenplay for the film of the same name
.
After the sales success of her first book, Auel has been able to travel to the sites of prehistoric ruins and relics, and also to meet many of the experts with whom she had been corresponding. Her research has taken her across Europe
from France
to Ukraine
, including most of what Marija Gimbutas
called Old Europe. In 1986 she attended and co-sponsored a conference on modern human origins at the School of American Research, Santa Fe. She has developed a close friendship with Dr. Jean Clottes of France who was responsible for, among many other things, the exploration of the Cosquer Cave
discovered in 1985 and the Chauvet Cave
discovered in 1994.
In October 2008, Auel was named an Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
by the French Minister of Culture and Communication.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer. She is best known for her Earth's Children
Earth's Children
Earth's Children is a series of speculative alternative historical fiction novels written by Jean M. Auel set circa 30,000 years before present. There are six novels in the series...
books, a series of novels set in prehistoric Europe
Prehistoric Europe
Prehistoric Europe refers to the prehistorical period of Europe, usually taken to refer to human prehistory since the Lower Paleolithic, but in principle also extending to geological time scale - for which see Geological history of Europe....
that explores interactions of Cro-Magnon
Cro-Magnon
The Cro-Magnon were the first early modern humans of the European Upper Paleolithic. The earliest known remains of Cro-Magnon-like humans are radiometrically dated to 35,000 years before present....
people with Neanderthals. As of 2010 her books have sold over 45 million copies worldwide.
Early years
Born Jean Marie Untinen on February 18, 1936 in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, she is of Finnish descent, the second of five children of Neil Solomon Untinen, a housepainter, and Martha Wirtanen.
Auel attended Portland State University
Portland State University
Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
. While a student, she joined Mensa
Mensa International
Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test...
, and worked at Tektronix
Tektronix
Tektronix, Inc. is an American company best known for its test and measurement equipment such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and video and mobile test protocol equipment. In November 2007, Tektronix became a subsidiary of Danaher Corporation....
, as a clerk (1965–66), a circuit board designer (1966–73), technical writer (1973–74), and a credit manager (1974–76). At one time, she shared a secretary with the author Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula Kroeber Le Guin is an American author. She has written novels, poetry, children's books, essays, and short stories, notably in fantasy and science fiction...
. Auel earned an Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
from the University of Portland
University of Portland
The University of Portland is a private Roman Catholic university located in Portland, Oregon. It is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross and is the sister school of the University of Notre Dame. Founded in 1901, UP has a student body of about 3,600 students...
in 1976, and she has been awarded honorary degrees from her alma mater, the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
, and the Mount Vernon College for Women
Mount Vernon College for Women
Mount Vernon College for Women was a private women's college in Washington, D.C. It merged with George Washington University in 1999 and is now known as the Mount Vernon Campus of The George Washington University....
.
Career as novelist
In 1977, Auel began extensive library research of the Ice AgeIce age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
for her first book. She joined a survival class
Survival skills
Survival skills are techniques a person may use in a dangerous situation to save themselves or others...
to learn how to construct an ice cave, and learned primitive methods of making fire, tanning leather, and knapping stone from the aboriginal
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
skills expert Jim Riggs.
The Clan of the Cave Bear
The Clan of the Cave Bear
The Clan of the Cave Bear is an historical novel by Jean M. Auel about prehistoric times set before the extinction of the Neanderthal race after 600,000 years as a species, and at least 10-15,000 years after Homo sapiens remains are documented and dated in Europe as a viable second human species...
was nominated for numerous literary awards, including an American Booksellers Association
American Booksellers Association
The American Booksellers Association is a non-profit industryassociation founded in 1900 that promotes independent bookstores in the United States and Canada. The ABA and its members support freedom of speech, literacy, and programs that encourage reading...
nomination for best first novel. It was also later adapted into a screenplay for the film of the same name
The Clan of the Cave Bear (film)
The Clan of the Cave Bear is a 1986 film based on the book of the same name by Jean M. Auel and was directed by Michael Chapman.-Plot:The film stars Daryl Hannah as Ayla, a young Cro-Magnon woman who was separated from her family during an earthquake and found by a group of Neanderthals...
.
After the sales success of her first book, Auel has been able to travel to the sites of prehistoric ruins and relics, and also to meet many of the experts with whom she had been corresponding. Her research has taken her across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, including most of what Marija Gimbutas
Marija Gimbutas
Marija Gimbutas , was a Lithuanian-American archeologist known for her research into the Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures of "Old Europe", a term she introduced. Her works published between 1946 and 1971 introduced new views by combining traditional spadework with linguistics and mythological...
called Old Europe. In 1986 she attended and co-sponsored a conference on modern human origins at the School of American Research, Santa Fe. She has developed a close friendship with Dr. Jean Clottes of France who was responsible for, among many other things, the exploration of the Cosquer Cave
Cosquer Cave
The Cosquer cave is located in the Calanque de Morgiou near Marseille, France, not very far from Cap Morgiou. The entrance to the cave is located 37 meters underwater, due to the rise of the Mediterranean in Paleolithic times. It was discovered by diver Henri Cosquer in 1985, but its...
discovered in 1985 and the Chauvet Cave
Chauvet Cave
The Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave is a cave in the Ardèche department of southern France that contains the earliest known cave paintings, as well as other evidence of Upper Paleolithic life. It is located near the commune of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc on a limestone cliff above the former bed of the Ardèche River...
discovered in 1994.
In October 2008, Auel was named an Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
by the French Minister of Culture and Communication.
Personal life
Auel married Ray Bernard Auel after high school. They are the parents of five children, and live in Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
External links
- Official web site
- Interview With Jean M. Auel by Meredith Allard in The Copperfield Review
- Audio(mp3, ram) Interview With Jean M. Auel by Don Swaim, December 2, 1985, New York.
- Transcript of Interview about Jean M. Auel's New Book, The Land of Painted Caves by Horus Cope, March 27, 2011, California.