Eve Garnett
Encyclopedia
Eve Garnett was an English
author and illustrator. She was educated at two schools in Devon
and at the Alice Ottley School in Worcester
. She then went to the Chelsea Polytechnic School of Art and the Royal Academy
Schools, and eventually exhibited at the Tate Gallery
, the LeFevre Gallery and the New English Art Club.
She was commissioned to illustrate Evelyn Sharp's 1927 book The London
Child, and became "appalled by conditions prevailing in the poorer quarters of the world's richest city". She became determined to show up some of the evils of poverty and extreme class division in the United Kingdom
, and especially the London of the time; to this end, she worked on a 40-foot mural at the Children's House in Bow
, a book of drawings with commentary called Is It Well With The Child? (1938), and she wrote and illustrated a book which, unlike most other British children's literature
of the time, dealt with the social conditions of the British working class
.
This book, The Family from One End Street
, was initially rejected by several publishers who deemed it "not suitable for the young". Eventually, however, it was published by Frederick Muller, and won the Carnegie Medal
as the best children's book of 1937, beating J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit
. It was first published by Puffin Books
in 1942 and has come to be regarded as a classic, having remained in print from its publication to the present day.
The manuscript of the sequel, Further Adventures of the Family from One End Street
, was thought to have been destroyed in a fire in 1941, but it was finally deciphered and published in 1956. A further book in the series, Holiday at the Dew Drop Inn
, appeared in 1962.
She also wrote and illustrated In and Out and Roundabout: Stories of a Little Town (1948), Lost and Found: Four Stories (1974) and First Affections (1982), while she illustrated Bad Baron of Crashbania (1932), Robert Louis Stevenson
's A Child's Garden of Verses (1947), A Book of the Seasons: An Anthology (1952) and A Golden Land (1958).
She was also an enthusiastic traveller, and spent much of her time in northern latitudes, claiming to have crossed the Arctic Circle
16 times. She was particularly interested in the Danish
/Norwegian
explorer and missionary Hans Egede
, and made many visits to Norway to study his life. Out of this research came a radio play, The Doll's House in the Arctic, and the 1968 book To Greenland's Icy Mountains.
Eve Garnett, who lived for many years in Lewes
, Sussex
(latterly East Sussex
), died in a nursing home there on April 5, 1991.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
author and illustrator. She was educated at two schools in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
and at the Alice Ottley School in Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
. She then went to the Chelsea Polytechnic School of Art and the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
Schools, and eventually exhibited at the Tate Gallery
Tate Gallery
The Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
, the LeFevre Gallery and the New English Art Club.
She was commissioned to illustrate Evelyn Sharp's 1927 book The London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Child, and became "appalled by conditions prevailing in the poorer quarters of the world's richest city". She became determined to show up some of the evils of poverty and extreme class division in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and especially the London of the time; to this end, she worked on a 40-foot mural at the Children's House in Bow
Bow, London
Bow is an area of London, England, United Kingdom in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a built-up, mostly residential district located east of Charing Cross, and is a part of the East End.-Bridges at Bowe:...
, a book of drawings with commentary called Is It Well With The Child? (1938), and she wrote and illustrated a book which, unlike most other British children's literature
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
of the time, dealt with the social conditions of the British working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
.
This book, The Family from One End Street
The Family from One End Street
The Family From One End Street, written and illustrated by Eve Garnett, is an English children's book. Set in Otwell, a town resembling Lewes, it was published in 1937 by Frederick Muller. It won a Carnegie Medal for best children's book that same year, despite competition which included J. R. R....
, was initially rejected by several publishers who deemed it "not suitable for the young". Eventually, however, it was published by Frederick Muller, and won the Carnegie Medal
Carnegie Medal
The Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
as the best children's book of 1937, beating J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit
The Hobbit
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, better known by its abbreviated title The Hobbit, is a fantasy novel and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald...
. It was first published by Puffin Books
Puffin Books
Puffin Books is the children's imprint of British publishers Penguin Books. Since the 1960s it has been the largest publisher of children's books in the UK and much of the English-speaking world.-Early history:...
in 1942 and has come to be regarded as a classic, having remained in print from its publication to the present day.
The manuscript of the sequel, Further Adventures of the Family from One End Street
Further Adventures of the Family from One End Street
Further Adventures of the Family from One End Street is the sequel to The Family from One End Street, an English children's book. Eve Garnett originally wrote this book shortly after the previous instalment had been published in 1937, and it is clearly claimed at one point to be set in 1938, but...
, was thought to have been destroyed in a fire in 1941, but it was finally deciphered and published in 1956. A further book in the series, Holiday at the Dew Drop Inn
Holiday at the Dew Drop Inn
Holiday at the Dew Drop Inn is the third and final book in the series initiated by The Family from One End Street and continued with the long-delayed Further Adventures of the Family from One End Street . Eve Garnett wrote it as a period piece, probably set in 1938...
, appeared in 1962.
She also wrote and illustrated In and Out and Roundabout: Stories of a Little Town (1948), Lost and Found: Four Stories (1974) and First Affections (1982), while she illustrated Bad Baron of Crashbania (1932), Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
's A Child's Garden of Verses (1947), A Book of the Seasons: An Anthology (1952) and A Golden Land (1958).
She was also an enthusiastic traveller, and spent much of her time in northern latitudes, claiming to have crossed the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
16 times. She was particularly interested in the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
/Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
explorer and missionary Hans Egede
Hans Egede
Hans Poulsen Egede was a Norwegian-Danish Lutheran missionary who launched mission efforts to Greenland, which led him to be styled the Apostle of Greenland. He established a successful mission among the Inuit and is credited with revitalizing Dano-Norwegian interest in the island after contact...
, and made many visits to Norway to study his life. Out of this research came a radio play, The Doll's House in the Arctic, and the 1968 book To Greenland's Icy Mountains.
Eve Garnett, who lived for many years in Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
(latterly East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
), died in a nursing home there on April 5, 1991.