Leon Garfield
Encyclopedia
Leon Garfield was a British writer of fiction. He is best known for his historical novels for children, though he also wrote for adults. He wrote more than thirty books, and scripted Shakespeare: The Animated Tales
for television.
, but his studies were interrupted first by lack of funds for fees, then by the outbreak of World War II
. He married Lena Leah Davies in April, 1941, at Golders Green synagogue but they separated after only a few months. For his service in the war he joined the British Army
Medical Corps
. While posted in Belgium
he met Vivien Alcock
, then an ambulance driver, who would go on to become his second wife (in 1948) and a well-known children's author. She would also greatly influence Garfield's writing, giving him suggestions for his writing, including the original idea for Smith. After the war Garfield worked as a biochemical laboratory technician at the Whittington Hospital
in Islington
, writing in his spare time until the 1960s, when he was successful enough to write full time. In 1964, the couple adopted a baby girl, called Jane after Jane Austen
, a favourite writer of both parents.
His first book, the pirate novel Jack Holborn, was submitted to Constable as an adult novel; but an editor saw its potential as a children’s novel and persuaded him to adapt it for a younger audience. In this form it was published in 1964. His second, Devil-in-the-Fog (1966), won the first ever Guardian Award
and was serialised for television, as were several of his other books (see below). The book was another in a series of adventure stories, set typically in the late eighteenth century, with a character of humble origins (in this case a boy from a family of travelling actors) pushed into the midst of a threatening intrigue. Smith (1967), which won the Phoenix Award
for children's literature in 1987, follows a similar pattern, with the eponymous hero, a young pickpocket, accepted into a wealthy household. So too does Black Jack (1968), in which a young apprentice is forced by accident and his conscience to accompany a murderous criminal. In 1970, Garfield's work started to move in new directions: The God Beneath the Sea
, a re-telling of Greek myths co-written by Garfield and Edward Blishen
and illustrated by Charles Keeping
, won the Carnegie Medal
for children's literature and was followed by a sequel, The Golden Shadow (1973); The Drummer Boy (1970) was another adventure story, but concerned more with a central moral problem, and apparently aimed at somewhat older readers, a trend continued in The Prisoners of September (1975), The Pleasure Garden (1976) and The Confidence Man (1978); The Strange Affair of Adelaide Harris (1972) was a black comedy, in which two boys decide to test the plausibility of the story of Romulus and Remus
with one of the boys' baby sister; most notable at the time was a series of linked long short stories about apprentices, published separately between 1976 and 1978, and then as a collection, The Apprentices. The more adult themed books of the mid seventies met with a mixed reception; and Garfield returned to the model of his earlier books with John Diamond, which won the Whitbread Award
for best children's book in 1980, and The December Rose (1986). He also in 1980 wrote a completion to the unfinished novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood
by Dickens
, who had been a major influence on his own style.
He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
in 1985. On June 2, 1996 he died of cancer at the Whittington Hospital, where he had once worked.
The historical books owe much to Dickens and Stevenson
. The latter's Treasure Island
clearly provided a model for Jack Holborn, with its shifting alliances of manipulative characters in pursuit of a treasure; and Garfield also acknowledges the brothers from Stevenson's The Master of Ballantrae
as an inspiration for the book. Beyond these specific debts, Garfield shares Stevenson's fondness for binding a relatively conservative hero to a more forceful personality outside of conventional morality. Another recurring plot form (most evident in Smith and The December Rose), in which an outcast is integrated into a supporting household, owes more to Dickens. Garfield also shares with Dickens a strong preference for an urban setting, generally London.
Garfield's father had broken contact with him when he divorced his Jewish wife; and Garfield scholar Roni Natov sees this difficult relationship as a major influence on his work, giving particular significance to the fathers and father figures in the novels. This view is partly supported by Garfield's own commentary.
serial in 1979; Black Jack was made into a feature film by Ken Loach
in the same year; John Diamond was made into a BBC television series in 1981; Jack Holborn was made into the German Christmas mini-series Jack Holborn
by ZDF
in 1982; The Ghost Downstairs was televised in 1982; "Mr Corbett's Ghost" was made into a television film with Paul Scofield
and John Huston
in 1987. In addition Garfield himself wrote the script for the 1986 television serial, The December Rose, afterwards adapting it as a novel, and for Shakespeare: The Animated Tales
(1992 and 1994), a well regarded Russian animation of Shakespeare, commissioned by the Welsh Channel Four, S4C
; for this he was awarded the 1995 Sam Wanamaker Award
.
Shakespeare: the Animated Tales
thumb|right|[[Banquo]] and [[Fleance]] from the "Macbeth" episode. Shakespeare: The Animated Tales comprised two six-part television series, first broadcast in 1992 and 1994...
for television.
Life
Garfield attended Brighton grammar school (1932-1938) and went on to study art at Regent Street PolytechnicUniversity of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
, but his studies were interrupted first by lack of funds for fees, then by the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He married Lena Leah Davies in April, 1941, at Golders Green synagogue but they separated after only a few months. For his service in the war he joined the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
Medical Corps
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
. While posted in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
he met Vivien Alcock
Vivien Alcock
Vivien Alcock was an author of children's books. Born in Worthing, West Sussex in England, her family moved to Devizes in Wiltshire when she was aged 10. She then studied at the Oxford School of Art....
, then an ambulance driver, who would go on to become his second wife (in 1948) and a well-known children's author. She would also greatly influence Garfield's writing, giving him suggestions for his writing, including the original idea for Smith. After the war Garfield worked as a biochemical laboratory technician at the Whittington Hospital
Whittington Hospital
The Whittington Hospital is a British hospital in Archway, Islington, London. It is named after Richard Whittington.It is a district general hospital, although it is also a teaching hospital of the UCL Medical School and Middlesex University School of Health and Social Sciences.- History :Although...
in Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
, writing in his spare time until the 1960s, when he was successful enough to write full time. In 1964, the couple adopted a baby girl, called Jane after Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
, a favourite writer of both parents.
His first book, the pirate novel Jack Holborn, was submitted to Constable as an adult novel; but an editor saw its potential as a children’s novel and persuaded him to adapt it for a younger audience. In this form it was published in 1964. His second, Devil-in-the-Fog (1966), won the first ever Guardian 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...
and was serialised for television, as were several of his other books (see below). The book was another in a series of adventure stories, set typically in the late eighteenth century, with a character of humble origins (in this case a boy from a family of travelling actors) pushed into the midst of a threatening intrigue. Smith (1967), which won the Phoenix Award
Phoenix Award
The Phoenix Award is awarded annually to a book originally published in English twenty years previously which did not receive a major award at the time of its publication....
for children's literature in 1987, follows a similar pattern, with the eponymous hero, a young pickpocket, accepted into a wealthy household. So too does Black Jack (1968), in which a young apprentice is forced by accident and his conscience to accompany a murderous criminal. In 1970, Garfield's work started to move in new directions: The God Beneath the Sea
The God Beneath the Sea
The God Beneath the Sea is a children's novel based on Greek mythology, written by Leon Garfield and Edward Blishen with illustrations by Charles Keeping. The God Beneath the Sea was awarded the 1970 Carnegie Medal, and was runner-up for the 1970 Kate Greenaway Medal...
, a re-telling of Greek myths co-written by Garfield and Edward Blishen
Edward Blishen
Edward Blishen was an English author. He is perhaps best known for three books: A Cack-Handed War , a story set in the backdrop of the Second World War, The God Beneath the Sea , a collaboration with Leon Garfield that won the Carnegie Medal and "Roaring Boys",an honest account of teaching in a...
and illustrated by Charles Keeping
Charles Keeping
Charles William James Keeping was a British illustrator, children's book author and lithographer. He first came to prominence with his illustrations for Rosemary Sutcliff's historical novels for children, and he created more than twenty picture books...
, 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...
for children's literature and was followed by a sequel, The Golden Shadow (1973); The Drummer Boy (1970) was another adventure story, but concerned more with a central moral problem, and apparently aimed at somewhat older readers, a trend continued in The Prisoners of September (1975), The Pleasure Garden (1976) and The Confidence Man (1978); The Strange Affair of Adelaide Harris (1972) was a black comedy, in which two boys decide to test the plausibility of the story of Romulus and Remus
Romulus and Remus
Romulus and Remus are Rome's twin founders in its traditional foundation myth, although the former is sometimes said to be the sole founder...
with one of the boys' baby sister; most notable at the time was a series of linked long short stories about apprentices, published separately between 1976 and 1978, and then as a collection, The Apprentices. The more adult themed books of the mid seventies met with a mixed reception; and Garfield returned to the model of his earlier books with John Diamond, which won the Whitbread Award
1980 Whitbread Awards
-References:*...
for best children's book in 1980, and The December Rose (1986). He also in 1980 wrote a completion to the unfinished novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
The Mystery of Edwin Drood is the final novel by Charles Dickens. The novel was left unfinished at the time of Dickens' death, and his intended ending for it remains unknown. Though the novel is named after the character Edwin Drood, the story focuses on Drood's uncle, choirmaster John Jasper, who...
by Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
, who had been a major influence on his own style.
He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
in 1985. On June 2, 1996 he died of cancer at the Whittington Hospital, where he had once worked.
Themes, influences, style
Garfield's novels for children all have a historical setting. In the early novels this is mostly the late eighteenth century, from John Diamond on, it is the nineteenth century. But they are not novels about historical events, which are rarely depicted, or social conditions, which provide only the starting point for the personal stories of the characters. In the few novels where Garfield handles actual events, he writes from the limited and subjective viewpoint of his characters.The historical books owe much to Dickens and 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....
. The latter's Treasure Island
Treasure Island
Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of "pirates and buried gold". First published as a book on May 23, 1883, it was originally serialized in the children's magazine Young Folks between 1881–82 under the title Treasure Island; or, the...
clearly provided a model for Jack Holborn, with its shifting alliances of manipulative characters in pursuit of a treasure; and Garfield also acknowledges the brothers from Stevenson's The Master of Ballantrae
The Master of Ballantrae
The Master of Ballantrae: A Winter's Tale is a book by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, focusing upon the conflict between two brothers, Scottish noblemen whose family is torn apart by the Jacobite rising of 1745...
as an inspiration for the book. Beyond these specific debts, Garfield shares Stevenson's fondness for binding a relatively conservative hero to a more forceful personality outside of conventional morality. Another recurring plot form (most evident in Smith and The December Rose), in which an outcast is integrated into a supporting household, owes more to Dickens. Garfield also shares with Dickens a strong preference for an urban setting, generally London.
Garfield's father had broken contact with him when he divorced his Jewish wife; and Garfield scholar Roni Natov sees this difficult relationship as a major influence on his work, giving particular significance to the fathers and father figures in the novels. This view is partly supported by Garfield's own commentary.
Film and television
Many of Garfield's books have been adapted for film or television: Devil-in-the-Fog was televised in 1968; Smith in 1970; The Strange Affair of Adelaide Harris was made into a 6 part BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
serial in 1979; Black Jack was made into a feature film by Ken Loach
Ken Loach
Kenneth "Ken" Loach is a Palme D'Or winning English film and television director.He is known for his naturalistic, social realist directing style and for his socialist beliefs, which are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as homelessness , labour rights and child abuse at the...
in the same year; John Diamond was made into a BBC television series in 1981; Jack Holborn was made into the German Christmas mini-series Jack Holborn
Jack Holborn
Jack Holborn was a 1982 ZDF Adventure TV mini-series. The story is based on the book by Leon Garfield.-Plot:Jack Holborn is a 13-year-old boy living in an orphanage in late 18th-century Bristol. Jack was found on the steps of the Holborn Catholic church in London when he was a toddler. He was...
by ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
in 1982; The Ghost Downstairs was televised in 1982; "Mr Corbett's Ghost" was made into a television film with Paul Scofield
Paul Scofield
David Paul Scofield, CH, CBE , better known as Paul Scofield, was an English actor of stage and screen...
and John Huston
John Huston
John Marcellus Huston was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics: The Maltese Falcon , The Treasure of the Sierra Madre , Key Largo , The Asphalt Jungle , The African Queen , Moulin Rouge...
in 1987. In addition Garfield himself wrote the script for the 1986 television serial, The December Rose, afterwards adapting it as a novel, and for Shakespeare: The Animated Tales
Shakespeare: the Animated Tales
thumb|right|[[Banquo]] and [[Fleance]] from the "Macbeth" episode. Shakespeare: The Animated Tales comprised two six-part television series, first broadcast in 1992 and 1994...
(1992 and 1994), a well regarded Russian animation of Shakespeare, commissioned by the Welsh Channel Four, S4C
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
; for this he was awarded the 1995 Sam Wanamaker Award
Sam Wanamaker Award
The Sam Wanamaker Award or Sam Wanamaker Prize is an award established in 1994 for pioneering work in Shakespearean theatre. It is awarded by Shakespeare's Globe and named after Sam Wanamaker.-Winners:...
.
Books by Leon Garfield (selected)
- Jack Holborn 1964
- Devil-in-the-Fog 1966
- Smith 1967
- Black Jack 1968
- The Drummer Boy 1970
- The God Beneath the Sea 1970 (with Edward Blishen)
- The Strange Affair of Adelaide Harris 1971
- The Ghost Downstairs 1972
- The Prisoners of September 1975
- The Pleasure Garden 1976
- The Confidence Man 1978
- The Apprentices 1978
- John Diamond 1980
- The Wedding Ghost 1985
- The December Rose 1986
- The Empty Sleeve 1988
- Blewcoat Boy 1988