Frances Clarke Sayers
Encyclopedia
Frances Clarke Sayers was an American children's librarian
, author
of children's books, and lecturer
on children's literature
.
, Kansas
to parents Oscar Lincoln Clarke and Marian Busby. When she was a child she moved with her family to Galveston
, Texas
, which would later prove to be a great source of inspiration for her numerous children’s books. In an essay published in the September 15, 1956 edition of Library Journal
, she reminisces about a woman telling her the story of the Gingerbread Man. Sayers states that, "I cannot recall her name, but her eyes were brown, her hair the exact shade of her eyes, she was short and plump, and I would know her voice were I even to hear it in paradise."
regarding service to children in the New York Public Library
, that Frances Clarke decided to become a children's librarian. She attended the University of Texas at Austin
, but after spending only two years there she left in order to attend the Carnegie Library School in Pittsburgh
because that university was "noted for its devoted staff and belief in taking books to children wherever they were". After graduation, she began her career in librarianship when Anne Carroll Moore, Superintendent of the Department of Work with Children at the New York Public Library
, invited her to come to work there.
In 1923, after five years with the NYPL, Frances Clarke decided to move to California
to be closer to her family. There she wed her longtime friend Alfred H.P. Sayers. The couple moved to Chicago where Alfred Sayers owned a bookstore. In Chicago, Sayers helped her husband run his bookstore and worked part-time as an editorial assistant for the American Library Association
. Unfortunately, the Great Depression
caused a lack of business for the Sayers’s bookstore and they decided to move back to California. Soon Sayers began to write children's books that would delight and enchant children, as well as adults, throughout the years. Her books were often semi-autobiographical, often bringing back the sights, smells, and sounds of her childhood in Texas.
In California Sayers added another title to her repertoire: that of lecturer. "In 1936 she offered a course in children's literature at the Library School of the University of California, Berkeley
, where she emphasized high standards of criticism, respect for children and children's books, and delight in storytelling."
In 1941, Sayers moved back to New York to replace Anne Carroll Moore at the NYPL as Superintendent of the Department of Work with Children. While Superintendent Sayers also "taught a course in writing for children at the New School for Social Research...and served as a consultant to the Library of Congress
for the reorganization of its Children’s Book Collection."
In 1952, after eleven years with the NYPL, Sayers retired from the life of a public librarian. However, her active spirit would not allow her to rest. In no time, Sayers was back lecturing students on the importance of children's literature. Throughout 1953 and 1954 Sayers traveled to many universities lecturing on this topic.
Sayers moved back to California to live with her sister. It was not long before Sayers was once again summoned to step into the role of lecturer. Sayers now found herself "Senior Lecturer in the English department for the University of California, Los Angeles
. When the UCLA School of Library Service opened in 1960, she was invited to offer the course in children’s literature there also." She retired from lecturing in the mid-1960s, but continued writing children’s books and for scholarly journals. She died in her home of a stroke at the age of 91.
is another big book promoter, and is quite without conscience as to how he waters down, distorts, and vulgarizes such books of high originality…Muchness acclaims Mr. Disney.”
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of children's books, and lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
on 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...
.
Biography
Frances Clarke was born on September 4, 1897 in TopekaTopeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
to parents Oscar Lincoln Clarke and Marian Busby. When she was a child she moved with her family to Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, which would later prove to be a great source of inspiration for her numerous children’s books. In an essay published in the September 15, 1956 edition of Library Journal
Library Journal
Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...
, she reminisces about a woman telling her the story of the Gingerbread Man. Sayers states that, "I cannot recall her name, but her eyes were brown, her hair the exact shade of her eyes, she was short and plump, and I would know her voice were I even to hear it in paradise."
Career
While it was in her early years that she fell in love with the art of storytelling, it was not until the age of twelve, when she read an article in St. Nicholas MagazineSt. Nicholas Magazine
St. Nicholas Magazine was a popular children's magazine, founded by Scribner's in 1873. The first editor was Mary Mapes Dodge, who continued her association with the magazine until her death in 1905. Dodge published work by the country's best writers, including Louisa May Alcott, Francis Hodgson...
regarding service to children in the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
, that Frances Clarke decided to become a children's librarian. She attended the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, but after spending only two years there she left in order to attend the Carnegie Library School in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
because that university was "noted for its devoted staff and belief in taking books to children wherever they were". After graduation, she began her career in librarianship when Anne Carroll Moore, Superintendent of the Department of Work with Children at the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
, invited her to come to work there.
In 1923, after five years with the NYPL, Frances Clarke decided to move to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to be closer to her family. There she wed her longtime friend Alfred H.P. Sayers. The couple moved to Chicago where Alfred Sayers owned a bookstore. In Chicago, Sayers helped her husband run his bookstore and worked part-time as an editorial assistant for the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
. Unfortunately, the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
caused a lack of business for the Sayers’s bookstore and they decided to move back to California. Soon Sayers began to write children's books that would delight and enchant children, as well as adults, throughout the years. Her books were often semi-autobiographical, often bringing back the sights, smells, and sounds of her childhood in Texas.
In California Sayers added another title to her repertoire: that of lecturer. "In 1936 she offered a course in children's literature at the Library School of the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, where she emphasized high standards of criticism, respect for children and children's books, and delight in storytelling."
In 1941, Sayers moved back to New York to replace Anne Carroll Moore at the NYPL as Superintendent of the Department of Work with Children. While Superintendent Sayers also "taught a course in writing for children at the New School for Social Research...and served as a consultant to the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
for the reorganization of its Children’s Book Collection."
In 1952, after eleven years with the NYPL, Sayers retired from the life of a public librarian. However, her active spirit would not allow her to rest. In no time, Sayers was back lecturing students on the importance of children's literature. Throughout 1953 and 1954 Sayers traveled to many universities lecturing on this topic.
Sayers moved back to California to live with her sister. It was not long before Sayers was once again summoned to step into the role of lecturer. Sayers now found herself "Senior Lecturer in the English department for the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
. When the UCLA School of Library Service opened in 1960, she was invited to offer the course in children’s literature there also." She retired from lecturing in the mid-1960s, but continued writing children’s books and for scholarly journals. She died in her home of a stroke at the age of 91.
"Summoned by Books"
"Summoned by Books" is a speech Sayers gave in November 1962 at the annual meeting of the California Library Association. She speaks on the issue that librarians need to make themselves known and appreciated once again, and to do that, they need to appreciate themselves. Sayers tells them that not only are they responsible for helping patrons find the information they want, but that as librarians, they are responsible for sharing with patrons the same love and appreciation they feel for books as well. She states that, “…as librarians we are not only summoned by books ourselves, but we are the instrumentation for the summoning of others.”"Happy Botheration"
"Happy Botheration" was published in the November 1954 School Library Association of California Bulletin. In "Happy Botheration" Sayers discusses her move back to California and her thoughts while she was unpacking her many books. She goes into detail about how much she has come to love and care for her books, and wouldn’t part with them for all the money in the world. She manages to capture her admiration for literature by the way she talks about her experience as an assistant librarian for the New York Public Library, as well as by discussing her need to mark pages that hold some of her favorite passages. Of this, Sayers says that while unpacking she appreciates looking through her books and as “[o]ne [is] leafing through, and there is the favorite passage, the eye [is] caught and held, the mind following after.”"Of Memory and Muchness"
In her speech "Of Memory and Muchness", which she gave in November 1956 at a meeting of the California Library Association, Sayers begins by questioning what is meant in the passage of Alice in Wonderland where the Dormouse talks of Alice learning to draw and in turn, drawing many things including "memory, and muchness." From this Sayers discusses children's books that have survived and thrived throughout the ages, asking everyone to remember their favorite book. Sayers also talks of the effect of "muchness" in society and the commercialization of literature, warning her fellow librarians of the likes of Walt Disney, saying, “Walt DisneyWalt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
is another big book promoter, and is quite without conscience as to how he waters down, distorts, and vulgarizes such books of high originality…Muchness acclaims Mr. Disney.”
Awards
Throughout her long career, Frances Clarke Sayers was recognized for her many contributions and achievements in librarianship and children's literature. In 1965 she was given the Joseph W. Lippincott Award for her distinguished service in librarianship. In 1966 she received the Clarence Day Award for "Summoned by Books," her collection of speeches and writings. Sayers was also awarded the Southern California Children's Literature Award in 1969 and the Catholic Library Association's Regina Medal in 1973.Writings and contributions
- Sayers, Frances Clarke, and Helen Sewell. Bluebonnets for Lucinda. New York: Viking, 1934.
- Sayers, Frances Clarke. Mr. Tidy Paws. New York: Viking Press, 1935.
- Sayers, Frances Clarke, and Helen Sewell. Tag-Along Tooloo. New York: The Viking Press, 1941.
- Sayers, Frances Clarke. Sally Tait. New York: Viking Press, 1951.
- Sayers, Frances Clarke. Ginny and Custard. New York: Viking Press, 1951.
- Sayers, Frances Clarke and Evelyn Sickels, eds. Anthology of Children’s Literature. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 3rd edition, 1958, 4th edition, 1970.
- Sayers, Frances Clarke, and Marjeanne Jensen Blinn. Summoned by Books: Essays and Speeches by Frances Clarke Sayers. New York: Viking Press, 1965.
- Sayers, Frances Clarke. Forward. From Two to Five. By Kornei Chukovskii. Brisbane: Jacaranda, 1963.
- Sayers, Frances Clark. Introduction. Grimm’s Fairy Tales. By Jakob Grimm. New York: Follett, 1968.
- Sayers, Frances Clarke, and Gunnar Anderson. Oscar Lincoln Busby Stokes. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1970.
- Sayers, Frances Clarke. Anne Carroll Moore: A Biography. New York: Atheneum, 1972. Twenty years earlier, Sayers's old mentor, too, battled the rising tide of vulgarity — Ursula NordstromUrsula NordstromUrsula Nordstrom was publisher and editor in chief of juvenile books at Harper & Row from 1940 to 1973. She also authored the 1960 children's book The Secret Language...
's revolutionary "good books for bad children" at Harper & RowHarperCollinsHarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
. - Sayers also wrote the foreword to the art piece, Children from Many Lands Illustrate Grimm’s Fairy Tales, which is a collection of drawings by children of their interpretation of stories from Grimm's Fairy TalesGrimm's Fairy TalesChildren's and Household Tales is a collection of German origin fairy tales first published in 1812 by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, the Brothers Grimm. The collection is commonly known today as Grimms' Fairy Tales .-Composition:...
.