, the William P. and Hazel B. White Professor of English at the University of 91吃瓜, has won the from Phi Beta Kappa for her biography, "."
The prize, which recognizes outstanding books of literary scholarship, will be presented at a reception in Washington, D.C., in December.
鈥淭his is a magisterially sympathetic reading of Thoreau鈥檚 life as a writer,鈥� said one member of the prize鈥檚 selection panel. 鈥淲alls鈥� clear, probing voice lives up to Thoreau鈥檚.鈥�
Established in 1776, the Phi Beta Kappa Society is the nation鈥檚 most exclusive and prestigious academic honor society. It has chapters at 286 colleges and universities in the U.S. and more than half a million members worldwide 鈥� including 17 U.S. presidents, 40 U.S. Supreme Court justices听补苍诲 more than 140 Nobel laureates.
鈥淭his award is particularly meaningful, as I have been a member of PBK since I graduated from college, from a proud family who could say the same,鈥� Walls said. 鈥淔or many years, I have admired and benefited from their high aspirations for the best humanistic scholarship across the arts and sciences.鈥�
This is the latest in a series of honors for Wall鈥檚 critically acclaimed biography, . Most recently, it won the 2017 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for biography. 聽
"Thoreau: A Life" was published on July 12, 2017, to coincide with Thoreau鈥檚 200th birthday 鈥� and sold out even before its official publication date. The first comprehensive biography of Thoreau since 1965, it has been praised in reviews by , 听补苍诲 , among others, for its nuanced portrayal of its subject and its compelling narrative.
鈥淚鈥檓 fascinated by the interface between the factual world and the way our imaginations take up that world and create a meaningful narrative,鈥� Walls said. 鈥淚鈥檝e always worked on the boundary between literature and science, and I find that boundary becomes even more exciting if you walk that line as an act of artistic creation.
鈥淲riting this book, I鈥檓 sure, has changed me forever.鈥�
Walls, a scholar of American transcendentalism, environmental literature听补苍诲 the intersection of science and literature, received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2010 to begin work on the book. She was in 2015 to complete the project.
For an extended interview with Walls, listen to the podcast produced by the Office of the Provost.
Originally published by at on Oct. 4.