Susan Sontag

Susan Sontag was a notable author, philosopher, and political activist. She was born as Susan Rosenblatt on January 16, 1933, in New York City to Jewish parents of Polish and Lithuanian descent. After her parents' divorce, she moved with her mother to Tucson, Arizona, and later attended high school in Los Angeles. Sontag went on to receive her B.A. from the University of Chicago and did graduate work at Harvard University and Saint Anne’s College, Oxford.

Throughout her career, Sontag produced an extensive body of work that included four novels, a collection of short stories, several plays, and nine works of nonfiction. Some of her most notable books are "The Benefactor," "Death Kit," "The Volcano Lover," "In America," "I, etcetera," "Against Interpretation," "On Photography," "Illness as Metaphor," and "Regarding the Pain of Others." She also ventured into filmmaking, writing and directing four feature-length films and several plays, including "Alice in Bed" and "Lady from the Sea."

Sontag was a prominent human rights activist for over two decades, serving as the president of the American Center of PEN, the international writers’ organization dedicated to freedom of expression and the advancement of literature. She was a strong advocate for persecuted and imprisoned writers and led numerous campaigns on their behalf. Sontag's works appeared in various newspapers, magazines, and literary publications worldwide, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The New York Review of Books. Her books have been translated into thirty-two languages.

Sontag's accolades include the 2003 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the 2003 Prince of Asturias Prize, the 2001 Jerusalem Prize, the National Book Award for "In America" (2000), and the National Book Critics Circle Award for "On Photography" (1978). She was also named a Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 1999. Sontag passed away in New York City on December 28, 2004.