Lloyd Alexander, widely regarded as a master of twentieth-century children’s literature, passed away on May 17, 2007. He is best-known for his fantasy fiction and modern fables: imaginative and adventurous stories, often rooted in historical fact and legend, which explore universal themes such as good versus evil and the quest of individuals for self-identity. Among Alexander’s best-known works are the five novels that comprise his “Prydain Chronicles”–culminating with The High King, which in 1969 received the prestigious Newbery Medal for children’s literature. Among Alexander’s numerous other awards are the National Book Award in 1971 for The Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian: A Grand Extravaganza, including a Performance by the Entire Cast of the Gallimaufry-Theatricus and the National Book Award in 1982 for his imaginative 1981 novel, Westmark. “At heart, the issues raised in a work of fantasy are those we face in real life,” Alexander states in his Newbery Award acceptance speech printed in Horn Book. “In whatever guise–our own daily nightmares of war, intolerance, inhumanity; or the struggles of an Assistant Pig-Keeper against the Lord of Death–the problems are agonizingly familiar. And an openness to compassion, love, and mercy is as essential to us here and now as it is to any inhabitant of an imaginary kingdom.” (Source: Contemporary Authors database.)
More information on Lloyd Alexander can be found in several Syosset Public Library databases, including Contemporary Authors, Biography Resource Center and Literature Resource Center.
A list of his books is shown below:
The Chronicles of Prydain
The Book of Three (1964)
The Black Cauldron (1965) – Winner of the 1966 Newbery Honor
The Castle of Llyr (1966)
Taran Wanderer (1967)
The High King (1968) – Winner of the 1969 Newbery Medal
The Foundling and Other Tales from Prydain (1970)
The Westmark Trilogy
Westmark (1981)
The Kestrel (1982)
The Beggar Queen (1984)
The Vesper Holly series
The Illyrian Adventure
The El Dorado Adventure
The Drackenberg Adventure (1988)
The Jedera Adventure
The Philadelphia Adventure
The Xanadu Adventure (2005)
Other Books
And Let the Credit Go (1955) (first published book)
My Five Tigers (1956)
August Bondi: Border Hawk (1958)
Aaron Lopez: The Flagship Hope (1960)
Fifty Years in the Doghouse (1963)
Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason And Gareth (1963)
The Truthful Harp (1967)
The Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian (1970)
The King’s Fountain (1971)
The Four Donkeys (1972)
The Cat Who Wished to Be a Man (1973)
The Wizard in the Tree (1974)
The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha (1978)
The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen (1991)
The Fortune-Tellers (1992)
The Arkadians (1995)
The House Gobbaleen (1995)
The Iron Ring (1997)
Gypsy Rizka (1999)
How the Cat Swallowed Thunder (2000)
The Gawgon and the Boy (2001) [released in the UK as “The Fantastical Adventures of the Invisible Boy”]
The Rope Trick (2002)
Dream-of-Jade: The Emperor’s Cat (2005)
The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio (2007, forthcoming)
Ed Goldberg
Teen Services Librarian