Kevin Crossley-Holland
Encyclopedia
Kevin John William Crossley-Holland (born 7 February 1941) is an English
translator, children's author and poet
.
, north Buckinghamshire
, Holland grew up in Whiteleaf
, a small village in the Chilterns. He attended Bryanston School
in Dorset
, followed by St Edmund Hall at Oxford University, where after failing his first exams he discovered a passion for Anglo-Saxon
literature. After graduating he became the Gregory Fellow in Poetry at the University of Leeds
, and from 1972–1977, he lectured in Anglo-Saxon for the Tufts University of London program. He also taught in the Midwest of America as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at St. Olaf College
, as well as Endowed Chair in the Humanities and Fine Arts at the University of St. Thomas.
His writing career began when he began working as a poetry, fiction and children’s book editor for Macmillan Publishers
. He later become editorial director at Victor Gollancz
. He is well-known for his poetry, novels, story collections, translations such as the classic Beowulf
(1968, 1973, 1999) and reinterpretations of medieval legends such as his Arthur trilogy. He also writes definitive collections of Norse myths (Viking!: Myths of Gods and Monsters) and British and Irish folk-tales (The Magic Lands: Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland). He has edited and translated the riddles from the Anglo-Saxon Exeter Book
.
He has also written the libretti for two operas by Nicola LeFanu
, The Green Children (1966) and The Wildman (1976), as well as a chamber opera about Nelson, Haydn and Emma Hamilton; and a stage play – The Wuffings (1999), as well as several collaborations with composers Sir Arthur Bliss
and William Mathias
.
Holland now lives on the North Norfolk
coast, where he spent some of his childhood.
His autobiography, The Hidden Roads: A Memoir of Childhood, was published in 2009.
, his novella, won the Carnegie Medal
in 1985, and in 2007 was selected by judges of the CILIP Carnegie Medal for children's literature as one of the ten most important children's novels of the past 70 years. The Seeing Stone
(2000), the first part of the Arthur Trilogy which concluded with At the Crossing-Places (2001) and King of the Middle March (2003), won the Guardian Children's Fiction Award
, the Tir na n-Og
prize and the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize
Bronze Medal, as well as being shortlisted for the Whitbread Awards. Gatty's Tale was shortlisted for the 2008 Carnegie Medal.
, At the Crossing-Places and the King of the Middle March. It is a new look at the King Arthur legends and over the course of the three books it shows Arthur's (the main character) development from a page to a squire and finally a knight. As well as this steady promotion, there are the normal problems a young teenage boy would face such as what girl he wants to be betrothed with and his inheritance. On top of this, he has his stone; a mysterious obsidian that shows a mirror image of his own life at Camelot. A follow-up to the Arthur Trilogy, Gatty's Tale, was published in 2006. He normally comes into Suffolk Primary Schools to introduce all his books.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
translator, children's author and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
Life and career
Born in MursleyMursley
Mursley is a small village in and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district Buckinghamshire, England. It is located about three miles east of Winslow and four miles south west of Fenny Stratford....
, north Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, Holland grew up in Whiteleaf
Whiteleaf, Buckinghamshire
Whiteleaf is a hamlet in the civil parish of Princes Risborough and the ecclesiastical parish of Monks Risborough in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located 7 miles south of the county town of Aylesbury and 8 miles north of High Wycombe...
, a small village in the Chilterns. He attended Bryanston School
Bryanston School
Bryanston School is a co-educational independent school for both day and boarding pupils in Blandford, north Dorset, England, near the village of Bryanston. It was founded in 1928...
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, followed by St Edmund Hall at Oxford University, where after failing his first exams he discovered a passion for Anglo-Saxon
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
literature. After graduating he became the Gregory Fellow in Poetry at the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
, and from 1972–1977, he lectured in Anglo-Saxon for the Tufts University of London program. He also taught in the Midwest of America as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College is a coeducational, residential, four-year, private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American immigrant pastors and farmers, led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after Olaf II of Norway,...
, as well as Endowed Chair in the Humanities and Fine Arts at the University of St. Thomas.
His writing career began when he began working as a poetry, fiction and children’s book editor for Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
. He later become editorial director at Victor Gollancz
Victor Gollancz
Sir Victor Gollancz was a British publisher, socialist, and humanitarian.-Early life:Born in Maida Vale, London, he was the son of a wholesale jeweller and nephew of Rabbi Professor Sir Hermann Gollancz and Professor Sir Israel Gollancz; after being educated at St Paul's School, London and taking...
. He is well-known for his poetry, novels, story collections, translations such as the classic Beowulf
Beowulf
Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
(1968, 1973, 1999) and reinterpretations of medieval legends such as his Arthur trilogy. He also writes definitive collections of Norse myths (Viking!: Myths of Gods and Monsters) and British and Irish folk-tales (The Magic Lands: Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland). He has edited and translated the riddles from the Anglo-Saxon Exeter Book
Exeter Book
The Exeter Book, Exeter Cathedral Library MS 3501, also known as the Codex Exoniensis, is a tenth-century book or codex which is an anthology of Anglo-Saxon poetry. It is one of the four major Anglo-Saxon literature codices. The book was donated to the library of Exeter Cathedral by Leofric, the...
.
He has also written the libretti for two operas by Nicola LeFanu
Nicola LeFanu
Nicola LeFanu is a British composer, academic, lecturer and director.-Life:Nicola LeFanu was born in England to William LeFanu and Elizabeth Maconchy . She studied at St Hilda's College, Oxford, before taking up a Harkness Fellowship at Harvard. In 1972 she won the Mendelssohn Scholarship...
, The Green Children (1966) and The Wildman (1976), as well as a chamber opera about Nelson, Haydn and Emma Hamilton; and a stage play – The Wuffings (1999), as well as several collaborations with composers Sir Arthur Bliss
Arthur Bliss
Sir Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss, CH, KCVO was an English composer and conductor.Bliss's musical training was cut short by the First World War, in which he served with distinction in the army...
and William Mathias
William Mathias
William Mathias CBE was a Welsh composer.-Brief biography:Mathias was born in Whitland, Carmarthenshire. A child prodigy, he started playing the piano at the age of three and composing at the age of five. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music under Lennox Berkeley, where he was elected a fellow...
.
Holland now lives on the North Norfolk
North Norfolk
North Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, United Kingdom. Its council is based in Cromer. The council headquarters can be found approximately out of the town of Cromer on the Holt Road.-History:...
coast, where he spent some of his childhood.
His autobiography, The Hidden Roads: A Memoir of Childhood, was published in 2009.
Awards
His children's novels have earned several awards. StormStorm (novella)
Storm is a children's book by Kevin Crossley-Holland, illustrated by Alan Marks. It won the Carnegie Medal for 1985.Published in the Banana Book series by Heinemann, this can be considered the first title for younger readers to win the Carnegie Medal...
, his novella, 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...
in 1985, and in 2007 was selected by judges of the CILIP Carnegie Medal for children's literature as one of the ten most important children's novels of the past 70 years. The Seeing Stone
The Seeing Stone
The Seeing Stone is a novel written by Kevin Crossley and published in hardcover in August 2000, along with an audio tape version. This was followed by a paperback version in June 2001 and an audio CD in July 2003...
(2000), the first part of the Arthur Trilogy which concluded with At the Crossing-Places (2001) and King of the Middle March (2003), won the Guardian Children's Fiction Award
Guardian Award
The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award is a prominent award for works of children's literature by British or Commonwealth authors, published in the United Kingdom during the preceding year. The award has been given annually since 1967, and is decided by a panel of authors and the...
, the Tir na n-Og
Tir na n-Og Awards
The Tir na n-Og Awards , established in Wales in 1976, are annual children's literary awards. There are currently three awards, presented to the best English-language book of the year with a Welsh background, and the best Welsh-language books for the primary and secondary sectors. Both fiction and...
prize and the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize
Nestlé Smarties Book Prize
The Nestlé Children's Book Prize, also known as the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize, was an annual award given to children's books written in the previous year by a UK citizen or resident. The prize was administered by Booktrust, an independent charity which promotes books and reading, and sponsored by...
Bronze Medal, as well as being shortlisted for the Whitbread Awards. Gatty's Tale was shortlisted for the 2008 Carnegie Medal.
Arthur Trilogy
These are probably his best-known works and have been published in 25 different countries. The trilogy is composed of The Seeing StoneThe Seeing Stone
The Seeing Stone is a novel written by Kevin Crossley and published in hardcover in August 2000, along with an audio tape version. This was followed by a paperback version in June 2001 and an audio CD in July 2003...
, At the Crossing-Places and the King of the Middle March. It is a new look at the King Arthur legends and over the course of the three books it shows Arthur's (the main character) development from a page to a squire and finally a knight. As well as this steady promotion, there are the normal problems a young teenage boy would face such as what girl he wants to be betrothed with and his inheritance. On top of this, he has his stone; a mysterious obsidian that shows a mirror image of his own life at Camelot. A follow-up to the Arthur Trilogy, Gatty's Tale, was published in 2006. He normally comes into Suffolk Primary Schools to introduce all his books.
External links
- Personal website
- The Archive of Kevin Crossley-Holland, Leeds University Library
- Biography, The Northern Children's Book Festival, 2003
- The Guardian: Interview