Skimming the blogs. Minding my own business. Then, suddenly, I stumble on ShelfTalker and see that she has written
the following:
Mark Peter Hughes shared some uber-cool news with the Association of Booksellers for Children's list-serv today, and I am thrilled to be passing that news along!
First let me say that Mark has (as of March 30th) quit his job to write full time. As if that wasn't brave enough, he is currently planning a seven-week road trip with this family to travel across the country visiting bookstores (mostly independents) and promote his most recent novel, Lemonade Mouth, which I've mentioned previously. Here is where we come to the biggest piece of news: National Public Radio has asked Mark to record "audio postcards" during his road trip -- "audio postcards" that will be broadcast to the 12 million regular listeners of All Things Considered!! Wow, wow, wow! How fantastic is that?!
She goes on to explain how one goes about proposing this kind of thing. It's ironic that I heard about this today since I had just learned too about Jon Scieszka's recent
obit for the great Lloyd. Alexander. Apparently noses come into the conversation.
Another of the giants is gone.
This summer I will re-read the Prydain Chronicles. TARAN WANDERER was the right book at the right time almost every time I read it through late adolescence and early adulthood. I wonder what it will say to me now.
TIME CAT will continue to take my students to nine times in history.
Thank you, Mr. Alexander.
Read Roger
HornBook Virtual History
HornBook obituary and links
Lois Lowry remembers
NPR Remembrance, with comments from Jon Scieszka
One of the world's most beloved fantasy authors, Lloyd Alexander, died last week at the age of 83, leaving behind a rich legacy of stories that are sure to entertain and beguile a new generation of readers in the years to come.
In The Wand in the Word: Conversations with Writers of Fantasy (Candlewick, 2006), Leonard S. Marcus speaks with Alexander about his life and working methods, and here--
From Read Roger I learned the sad news that Lloyd Alexander passed away today. He was an enormously talented and versatile writer and will be greatly missed. Although his Chronicles of Prydain were his most well known books, my favorites were The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen and The Iron Ring. Read the obituary at Horn Book.
Members of Child_Lit are reporting that Lloyd Alexander died this morning.
Update:
Horn Book notice (via Fuse #8)
Tribute on NPR by Jon Scieszka
NYTimes Obit
His books are timeless and will be enchanting new readers and old ones forever.
We've posted further information about Lloyd Alexander here. And below, fervent Alexander fan and my best friend Elizabeth Law offers some of her own thoughts:
Lloyd Alexander is one of my favorite writers of all time, as well as one of my most influential. As a child and young adult, I read the Chronicles of Prydain at least once a year. I often slept with one of the books in my bed, so that it was the last thing I read at night and the first thing I read when I woke up. I don’t mean to over-analyze it, but those books had everything for me--good plots, a character I wanted to love and cuddle (Gurgi), a girl I wanted to be (Eilonwy), a friend I wanted to have (Fflewddur, after whom I named a cherished stuffed animal), and Gwydion, who seemed as glamorous to me as the teenager down the street who starred in all of the high school plays. (Years later, I still have a crush on Taran. Where, oh where, is the man who would sleep all night on the floor outside my door just to protect me?) Most of all, the books created a completely convincing, layered world that I wanted to be a part of.
Professionally, I learned an enormous amount from a piece Lloyd Alexander wrote years ago in the Horn Book, “The Flat-Heeled Muse.”:
Once committed to his imaginary kingdom, the writer is not a monarch but a subject. Characters must appear plausible in their own setting, and the writer must go along with their inner logic. Happenings should have logical implications. Details should be tested for consistency. Shall animals speak? If so, do all animals speak? If not, then which—and how? Above all, why? Is it essential to the story, or lamely cute? . . . (from “The Flat-Heeled Muse, Horn Book Magazine, April 1965)
I have quoted again and again from my dog-eared Xerox of that article in editorial letters. The point of the piece was that every fantasy world has an internal logic it must follow. Yes, it’s a pain for a writer to work that logic out, and to stick to it, but without it the writer’s story will feel fake and too convenient.
On a personal note, I send my thoughts to his now-retired long-time editor, Ann Durell. It was Ann who read the manuscript for The High King, intended to be the 4th and last book in the Prydain Chronicles, and said to Lloyd, “There’s a book missing here.” She saw the piece of the saga that Lloyd himself hadn’t yet seen, the book that became Taran Wanderer. That’s the greatest kind of editor/author relationship.
I’m so grateful to both of them.--Elizabeth Law
From the child_lit listserv:
Dear Community,
There is sad news. Lloyd Alexander died this morning. He was under Hospice care and was at home in his own bed where he wanted to be.
His wife, Janine, to whom he was married for sixty-two years, died two weeks ago - also at home. (He met and married the French Janine in Paris at the end of WWII.)
His last book, THE GOLDEN DREAM OF CARLO CHUCHIO is out in galley form. Holt publication date is August. It is vintage Alexander.
Lloyd said about CARLO, "I have finished my life work."
For more information check out
SFScope. Also,
Roger Sutton has linked to a rather charming letter from the Horn Book vaults
here.
I have an appreciation of Lloyd Alexander, who died this morning, promised for later, but for now I'd like to direct your attention to this letter he wrote to Horn Book editor Ruth Hill Viguers long ago.
By: Gina MarySol Ruiz,
on 5/17/2007
Blog:
AmoxCalli
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AmoxCalli is black today - Lloyd Alexander has died.
I received this early this morning.
Dear Community,
There is sad news. Lloyd Alexander died this morning. He was under Hospice care and was at home in his own bed where he wanted to be.
His wife, Janine, to whom he was married for sixty-two years, died two weeks ago - also at home. (He met and married the French Janine in Paris at the end of WWII.)
His last book, THE GOLDEN DREAM OF CARLO CHUCHIO is out in galley form. Holt publication date is August. It is vintage Alexander.
Lloyd said about CARLO, "I have finished my life work."
Rest in peace beloved storyteller.
Funny you should mention this (and that I'm just now reading it, several days late) but I just heard his first audio "postcard" the other day and made a note to blog about it. He talked about quitting his day job to pursue his dream. I didn't know there were going to be more...I'll have to keep an ear peeled.