Author. She will be best remembered for penning the bestselling novel "Up the Down Staircase" (1965). The public school-based story was made into a 1967 motion picture adaptation. Born Belle Kaufman in Germany, she spent her early childhood in Russia. Her father was a physician, she was the granddaughter of Yiddish author Sholem Aleichem (her mother's father) who wrote stories which became the basis for "Fiddler on the Roof." After her family relocated to New York City when she was twelve, she was enrolled in public school without being able to speak a word of English. Her teacher provided the nurturing to make her feel at ease and help her learning at a fast-paced level. As a result, she had a fondness for teaching which she would pursue. She attended Hunter University and later Columbia University from where she received her master's degree in Literature. She went on to teach for the next three-decades in New York City. She contributed stories to Esquire Magazine, prior to writing "Up the Down Staircase" which first appeared in The Saturday Review in 1962.
Author. She will be best remembered for penning the bestselling novel "Up the Down Staircase" (1965). The public school-based story was made into a 1967 motion picture adaptation. Born Belle Kaufman in Germany, she spent her early childhood in Russia. Her father was a physician, she was the granddaughter of Yiddish author Sholem Aleichem (her mother's father) who wrote stories which became the basis for "Fiddler on the Roof." After her family relocated to New York City when she was twelve, she was enrolled in public school without being able to speak a word of English. Her teacher provided the nurturing to make her feel at ease and help her learning at a fast-paced level. As a result, she had a fondness for teaching which she would pursue. She attended Hunter University and later Columbia University from where she received her master's degree in Literature. She went on to teach for the next three-decades in New York City. She contributed stories to Esquire Magazine, prior to writing "Up the Down Staircase" which first appeared in The Saturday Review in 1962.
Bio by: C.S.
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