Part XII: Juster/Dahl/Lindgren/Saint-Exupéry/Aiken/Masefield/Pearce

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

Masters of Fantasy: Part XII

<img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.lostpathway.com/images/coir/dahl.jpg" alt="" width="300">

Photo: Roald Dahl

Now we move completely into the 20th century in this continued look at children's authors. Enjoy!



NORTON JUSTER (1929-2021)

A Lieutenant Junior Grade in the U.S. Navy's Civil Engineer Corps, Norton Juster has made his career as an architect primarily, but he is best known as the author of The Phantom Tollbooth, in which a boy is whisked away into the metaphorical Kingdom of Wisdom, where the loss of the princesses Rhyme and Reason have plunged the realms of Dictionopolis and Digitopolis into chaos, and thus it is up to this boy and his two companions to restore order. Drawing parallels to Lewis Carroll and L. Frank Baum, the book is a wonderfully intelligent tale with a sincere love of education and language, receiving high acclaim since its initial publication.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton_Juster)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=juster_norton)
The New Yorker - Broken Kingdom: Fifty Years of 'The Phantom Tollbooth' (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/10/17/broken-kingdom)
Scholastic.com - Norton Juster Biography (https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/authors/norton-juster/)
An Interview with Norton Juster, Author of 'The Phantom Tollbooth' (http://www.underdown.org/juster.htm)
Dallas News - Author Interview: Norton Juster Discusses 'The Phantom Tollbooth' (http://www.dallasnews.com/arts/books/2011/06/03/author-interview-norton-juster-discusses-the-phantom-tollbooth)
Christ and Pop Culture - The Phantom Tollbooth and the Redeeming Power of Words (https://christandpopculture.com/phantom-tollbooth-redeeming-power-words/)



ROALD DAHL (1916-1990)

Born to Norwegian parents, Roald Dahl served in the RAF during WWII as both an ace and a wing commander before trying his hand at writing, taking the advice of adventure writer C. S. Forester to use his war experiences as inspiration. While he did produce some macabre work for adults in the short story genre, he is best remembered as one of the leading children's writers of the 20th century, turning out works both sentimental and cruel at the same time, exaggerated to gruesome lengths as a child would probably see it. His best-known works include James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox, George's Marvellous Medicine, The BFG, The Witches, and Matilda.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roald_Dahl)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=dahl_roald)
The Official Roald Dahl Website (http://www.roalddahl.com/)
Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Roald-Dahl)
Bio.com - Roald Dahl (https://www.biography.com/people/roald-dahl-9264648)
RoaldDahlFans.com (https://www.roalddahlfans.com/)
The New York Times - Beyond Wonka: They Want Every Kid to Know Roald Dahl's World (https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/04/theater/roald-dahl-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory.html?_r=0)
BBC Culture - The Dark Side of Roald Dahl (http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160912-the-dark-side-of-roald-dahl)



ASTRID LINDGREN (1907-2002)

Formerly a secretary and journalist, having worked at a local newspaper for her native Vimmerby, Astrid Lindgren became one of the foremost authors of Scandinavian children's fantasy. The work which brought her immediate fame - and controversy - was Pippi Longstocking, the story of a free-spirited girl with extraordinary strength who gets into all sorts of mischief; two sequels followed. Another popular series was Karlsson-on-the-Roof, in which a small, boastful man who lives behind the chimney of an ordinary apartment building in Stockholm entertains a young boy and his family. Some of her most notable single novels include Ronia the Robber's Daughter, in which a robber chief's only child must make peace between two warring clans; The Brothers Lionheart, where two brothers united by love follow each other through the afterlife; and Mio, My Son, which follows a young boy who is told by a genie that he is the true heir to a kingdom blighted by a cruel knight.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrid_Lindgren)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=lindgren_astrid)
The Official Astrid Lindgren Site (http://www.astridlindgren.se/en/)
Famous Authors - Astrid Lindgren (http://www.famousauthors.org/astrid-lindgren)
Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Astrid-Lindgren)



ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY (1900-1944)

The third of five children of an aristocratic family, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was a renowned aviator, flying airmail routes in peace times and reconnaissance missions for the French Air Force in WWII, later joining the resistance in North Africa, disappearing during a mission in 1944. In addition to memoirs and novels regarding aviation, his most famous work is The Little Prince, in which the narrator meets a young boy from an asteroid-planet who recounts his extraordinary life story. Immensely popular, the book has been translated into over 250 languages, becoming one of the best-selling books in modern history.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_de_Saint-Exup%C3%A9ry)
Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Antoine-de-Saint-Exupery)
PoemHunter.com (https://www.poemhunter.com/antoine-de-saint-exupery/biography/)
Bio.com - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (https://www.biography.com/people/antoine-de-saint-exupery-030816)



JOAN AIKEN (1924-2004)

Daughter of the renowned American poet Conrad Aiken, Joan Aiken grew up harboring a lifelong fascination with the ghost stories of M. R. James, Fitz James O'Brien, and Nugent Barker, which carried over into her adult work and short fiction. However, one of her most popular works is a series of alternate histories set in a time where James II of England continued to reign; the series opens with The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, where a pair of cousins and a local farm boy must evade both a scheming governess and the migrating wolves that crossed into England.

Offsite resource:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Aiken)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=aiken_joan)
The Wonderful World of Joan Aiken (http://joanaiken.com/)
Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joan-Aiken)



JOHN MASEFIELD (1878-1967)

Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1930 to 1967, John Masefield served in both the merchant navy and a carpet factory before turning to writing; he also served as a hospital orderly during WWI. Regarding children's fantasy, he is remembered for The Midnight Folk, in which the young hero races with talking animals against a coven of witches for possession of a lost treasure, and its sequel, The Box of Delights, in which the villains of the first story now seek to obtain a magic box that can perform all sorts of wonders.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Masefield)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=masefield_john)
Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Masefield-British-poet)



PHILIPPA PEARCE (1920-2006)

The youngest child of a flour miller and a corn merchant, Philippa Pearce got a late start in her education due to illness but eventually achieved a scholarship to Girton Collage at Cambridge. Her most celebrated work is her second novel, Tom's Midnight Garden, a time-slip fantasy in which a young boy slips every night into a strange garden where he befriends a young girl from Victorian times. The book was pretty much an instant success, winning the Carnegie Medal in 1958 and becoming one of the best-loved fantasies of its kind.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippa_Pearce)
The Independent - On Philippa Pearce (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/philippa-pearce-429660.html)
Sarah Brennan's Funny & Fabulous Blog - Philippa Pearce (https://sarahbrennanblog.com/awesome-authors/philippa-pearce/)



That's enough for now. I apologize if my links aren't that informative in some cases - I feel that I was really stretching it to find a good source. Anyway, the last big post of children's authors will be next. As usual, the forum post can be found here: http://www.lostpathway.com/tavern/index.php/topic,16.0.html