Lloyd Alexander
| Lloyd Alexander | |
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| Born | Lloyd Chudley Alexander January 30, 1924 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | May 17, 2007 (aged 83) Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | American |
| Period | 1955–2007 |
| Genre | Fantasy, children's literature |
| Notable works |
The Chronicles of Prydain Westmark trilogy |
| Notable awards |
Newbery Medal 1971 The Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian 1982 Westmark |
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Newbery Medal
1969 The High King
Lloyd Chudley Alexander (January 30, 1924 – May 17, 2007) was an American author of more than forty books, primarily fantasy novels for children and young adults. His most famous work is The Chronicles of Prydain, a series of five high fantasy novels whose conclusion, The High King, was awarded the 1969 Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature. He won U.S. National Book Awards in 1971 and 1982.
Alexander was one creator of the children's literary magazine Cricket.
Alexander was born in Philadelphia in 1924 and grew up in Drexel Hill, a western suburb. His father was a stockbroker and the family was much affected by the Great Depression. His parents read only newspapers but they did buy books "at the Salvation Army to fill up empty shelves." Lloyd was a reader of books: "Shakespeare, Dickens, Mark Twain and so many other were my dearest friends and greatest teachers. I loved all the world's mythologies; King Arthur was one of my heroes".
By fifteen he had determined to be a writer. His parents found him a practical job as bank messenger, which inspired a satire that would become his first book published fifteen years later, And Let the Credit Go (1955). He graduated at age sixteen in 1940 from Upper Darby High School, where he was inducted into the school's Wall of Fame in 1995.
His parents placed him at Haverford College just down the road from home (although he left after one term). Years later he observed, "My parents never read a book. I never in all my life saw them sit down and read a book. So it was always a mystery to them—where do these books come from, and who actually writes them? And our son wants to go into a business like that?!!" He ignored their warnings and "lived to regret not listening", acknowledging that he hadn't realized how hard a writing career would be.
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