Alison Lurie was born on 3 September 1926 in Chicago, and brought up in White Plains, Westchester County, the child of progressive socialist parents. Her father, Harry, born in Latvia, was a sociologist and became the founder and director of The Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds, a social work agency. Her mother, Bernice Stewart, had supported herself from an early age, working her way through college, and then becoming a journalist for 15 years for the 

Detroit Free

 Press, editing the book and magazine section. As a result of a birth injury, which damaged her hearing and partly atrophied her facial muscles, Lurie became convinced that she would never marry, and was encouraged to concentrate on writing, from an early age. After attendance at a progressive day school, she…

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Citation: Newman, Judith Alice. "Alison Lurie". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 02 December 2008; last revised 24 June 2022. [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2821, accessed 19 March 2024.]

2821 Alison Lurie 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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