Paula Fox was an American novelist and memoirist, born in New York City in 1923. Her early life was marked by abandonment by her parents and subsequent upbringing by various relatives and caregivers. Despite a challenging childhood, she pursued education, attending Columbia University's School of General Studies. Fox began her writing career in her forties, initially focusing on adult fiction that, while critically acclaimed, often sold poorly. Her novels like 'Poor George' and 'Desperate Characters' garnered praise from notable critics.

Later in her career, Fox achieved significant recognition for her contributions to children's literature. She was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1978, the Newbery Medal in 1974 for 'The Slave Dancer,' and a National Book Award in 1983 for 'A Place Apart.' In the mid-1990s, her adult works experienced a resurgence in popularity, championed by a new generation of writers, and she was inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame in 2011. Fox also had a personal life that included relationships with notable figures, and she was the mother of author Linda Carroll and grandmother of musician Courtney Love. She passed away in 2017 at the age of 93.

Born Paula Fox in New York City in 1923, her early life was profoundly shaped by her parents' rejection. Her mother, Elsie De Sola, a Cuban screenwriter, and her father, Paul Hervey Fox, a writer, left her at a foundling home shortly after her birth. She was rescued by her maternal grandmother, Candelaria de Sola, but due to her grandmother's inability to care for her directly, Paula was placed with Reverend Elwood Corning and his mother in Balmville, New York. Reverend Corning provided her with kindness and important life lessons. A later reunion with her mother at age five proved deeply traumatic, leading Paula to describe her mother with harsh terms in her memoir 'Borrowed Finery.' Raised by a series of relatives and caregivers, Fox's formal education was limited, attending high school for only five months. She later attended Columbia University's School of General Studies from 1955 to 1958.

Paula Fox embarked on her writing career in her 40s, after years of working as a teacher and tutor for troubled children. Her debut novel, 'Poor George,' focused on a cynical teacher mentoring a teenager, received positive reviews but had low sales, a pattern that persisted for her adult fiction. Despite commercial challenges, her adult novels like 'Desperate Characters' were lauded by critics such as Alfred Kazin and Lionel Trilling for their depth and artistry. Fox achieved greater public acclaim for her children's literature, earning the prestigious international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1978. Her novel 'The Slave Dancer' was honored with the Newbery Medal in 1974, and 'A Place Apart' received a National Book Award in 1983. Her works experienced a revival in the mid-1990s when younger American writers championed her adult fiction, and she was inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame in 2011.

In 1943, Paula Fox lived with actress Stella Adler and became acquainted with Marlon Brando. During this period, she became pregnant and gave her daughter, Linda Carroll, up for adoption. While rumors persisted about Brando's paternity, neither party confirmed it. Linda Carroll later became an author and psychotherapist, and is the mother of musician Courtney Love, making Frances Bean Cobain Fox's great-granddaughter. Fox was married twice, first to Richard Sigerson, with whom she had two sons, and later to literary critic Martin Greenberg. In 1996, Fox suffered a head injury during a mugging in Jerusalem, which impacted her ability to write. She passed away in Brooklyn on March 1, 2017, at the age of 93.