Camille Paglia
writer, social critic
Born: 4/2/1947
Birthplace: Endicott, N.Y.
Paglia graduated from Harpur College of the State University of New York at Binghamton and earned a Ph.D. in English from Yale University in 1974. She taught at a number of colleges for several years. In 1984 Paglia joined the faculty of the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts, which later merged with the Philadelphia College of Art to form the University of the Arts. In 1990, her book, Sexual Personae was published. Her collection of essays, Sex, Art, and American Culture, was published in 1992. Paglia has become a frequent contributor to various journals, making often-acerbic comments on art, culture, and current events. Paglia has leveled some of her strongest criticism at feminism and political correctness. In 2005, she was one of only 10 women who made a list of the “Top 100 Public Intellectuals” put together by the publications Foreign Policy and The Prospect.