Dates

• Existence: 1925-

Biography

Hualing Nieh Engle was born on January 11, 1925, in Hupei, central China. She took her B.A. degree in foreign literature in 1948 from National Central University, Nanking China. She served as associate professor at the National Taiwan University, where she established their creative writing workshop.   Hualing fled Peking as Communists took control from the Nationalist government. Her father was killed during the political turmoil and Hualing continually moved to stay ahead of the advancing troops. In 1949 she lived in Taipei, Taiwan, where she taught fiction writing at National Taiwan University. In Taipei, she was also editor of the periodical Free China Fortnightly, a position which put her in contact with authors. In 1964, she met Paul Engle, director of the State University of Iowa Graduate Writers' Workshop, who visited Taiwan on a Rockefeller Grant. Engle persuaded her to study at SUI for one year. Hualing remained at SUI, received her MFA degree in 1966, and married Paul Engle in 1971. She was appointed professor of Chinese literature in July 1971.   The Iowa program is today the renowned Iowa Writers' Workshop. In 1967, Hualing and Paul established the International Writing Program. Together they traveled Europe in search of fledgling writers to enroll. For their work on this program, the Engles were nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1976. When Paul retired in July 1977, Hualing's title changed from associate director to director of the International Writing Program. She served concurrently as associate professor of Chinese literature until her retirement in 1988. Paul Engle died in 1991.   Hualing Nieh Engle is the author of novels, essays and short stories written in Chinese, English, Portuguese, Italian, and French.

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