Into The West
Author Lloyd Alexander dead at 83
PHILADELPHIA - Lloyd Alexander, a prolific writer of children's books including the five-book series "The Chronicles of Prydain," died Thursday, May 17. He was 83.
Alexander died at his home in the Philadelphia suburb of Drexel Hill, said Jennifer Abbots, spokeswoman for his publishing company, Henry Holt Books For Young Readers. He had cancer, she said.
The final book in his Prydain series, "The High King," won the Newbery Medal from the American Library Association in 1969, being recognized as the best children's book of the year. Another book in the series, "The Black Cauldron," was named a runner-up for the medal in 1966, a status now known as a Newbery Honor Book.
His final novel, "The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio," is scheduled to be published by Holt in August. The publisher described it as an adventure in the tradition of Middle Eastern folk tales.
Alexander joined the Army at the start of World War II and got much of his training in Wales. His experiences in the area inspired many of his books.
He met Janine Denni, whom he married in 1946, while attending the University of Paris. She died two weeks before he did, Holt said in a statement.
He went to join his lady in the Summerland...who could be sad about that? And they were married the year I was born...goodness!
I never read his Prydein stuff until after I started writing my Keltiad stuff, and was interested to see how he made use of one of the same mines I worked myself: the Mabinogion, primarily, though he added a few bits and bobs from other sources.
I enjoyed it very much indeed, though I was rather possessively annoyed over his use of Gwydion (No! Prince of Don MINE!), which of course is totally silly, especially when Evangeline Walton, whom I did read before commencing Kelts, didn't annoy me with her Gwydion versioning in the slightest. Ah well.
Anyway, you did great, Lloyd. Diolch yn fawr! May your journey thrive!
PHILADELPHIA - Lloyd Alexander, a prolific writer of children's books including the five-book series "The Chronicles of Prydain," died Thursday, May 17. He was 83.
Alexander died at his home in the Philadelphia suburb of Drexel Hill, said Jennifer Abbots, spokeswoman for his publishing company, Henry Holt Books For Young Readers. He had cancer, she said.
The final book in his Prydain series, "The High King," won the Newbery Medal from the American Library Association in 1969, being recognized as the best children's book of the year. Another book in the series, "The Black Cauldron," was named a runner-up for the medal in 1966, a status now known as a Newbery Honor Book.
His final novel, "The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio," is scheduled to be published by Holt in August. The publisher described it as an adventure in the tradition of Middle Eastern folk tales.
Alexander joined the Army at the start of World War II and got much of his training in Wales. His experiences in the area inspired many of his books.
He met Janine Denni, whom he married in 1946, while attending the University of Paris. She died two weeks before he did, Holt said in a statement.
He went to join his lady in the Summerland...who could be sad about that? And they were married the year I was born...goodness!
I never read his Prydein stuff until after I started writing my Keltiad stuff, and was interested to see how he made use of one of the same mines I worked myself: the Mabinogion, primarily, though he added a few bits and bobs from other sources.
I enjoyed it very much indeed, though I was rather possessively annoyed over his use of Gwydion (No! Prince of Don MINE!), which of course is totally silly, especially when Evangeline Walton, whom I did read before commencing Kelts, didn't annoy me with her Gwydion versioning in the slightest. Ah well.
Anyway, you did great, Lloyd. Diolch yn fawr! May your journey thrive!
posted by Patricia Kennealy Morrison | 4:13 PM
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