Ruth Sawyer
Encyclopedia
Ruth Sawyer was the professional name of Ruth Sawyer Durand (August 5, 1880 Boston, Massachusetts - June 3, 1970), an American children's writer.
with an affluent family. .
Her birth-name was Ruth Sawyer, and she published under this name after she was married.
Upon the death of her father, a New York City importer, the family lost most of their wealth and their home in New York City.
They were forced to move to their summer cottage in Maine and live off the land, an experience that Sawyer describes in her autobiographical children's novel, The Year of Jubilo.
Her New York childhood is described in Roller Skates
. The protagonist of these novels is "Lucinda Wyman", which was also the name of Ruth Sawyer's grandmother; but "Lucinda" was not Ruth's actual name.
Sawyer travelled to Cuba
in 1900, to teach storytelling to teachers organizing
kindergartens for children orphaned during the Spanish-American War
.
She returned to New York to study folklore and storytelling
at Columbia University
, where she got a B.S.
in 1904.
During two summers in 1905 and 1907, she
worked in Ireland for the New York Sun
and spent time in the countryside
collecting Irish folk tales. Using these tales, she wrote Old Con and Patrick in 1946.
Sawyer married Albert C. Durand, an ophthalmologist. The couple raised two children, Margaret (Peggy) and David, in Ithaca, New York. Peggy, a children's librarian, married Robert McCloskey
, who later became a children's book author himself. David, an economist and statistician, was a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management
.
in 1915, of which a movie
was made in 1917 (starring Loretta Young
). Her best-known book is Roller Skates
, which won her the Newbery Medal
in 1937.
Like Roller Skates, a number of Sawyer's books are autobiographical accounts of her childhood and reveal an interesting perspective on American life at the end of the 19th century. These include The Year of Jubilo (1940) and Daddles, The Story of a Plain Hound-Dog (1964). As well as "Le berceau de Bo le Bossu"( a religious, Christmas folktale in Saint-Malo) Another tale Journey Cake Ho! written in 1953 and illustrated by Robert McCloskey was a Caledcott Honour Book.
Sawyer also wrote non-autobiographical novels for children, such as The Enchanted Schoolhouse (1956; ill. Hugh Troy)
and The Year of the Christmas Dragon (1960; ill. Hugh Troy), and a scholarly work, The Way of the Storyteller
(1942). She published a number of collections of folktales, such as This Way To Christmas (1916) (which featured an illustration by a young Norman Rockwell
) and My Spain: A Storyteller's Year of Collecting (1967).
Biography
She was raised in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with an affluent family. .
Her birth-name was Ruth Sawyer, and she published under this name after she was married.
Upon the death of her father, a New York City importer, the family lost most of their wealth and their home in New York City.
They were forced to move to their summer cottage in Maine and live off the land, an experience that Sawyer describes in her autobiographical children's novel, The Year of Jubilo.
Her New York childhood is described in Roller Skates
Roller Skates
Roller Skates is a book by Ruth Sawyer that won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1937. It deals with the author's New York childhood.-Plot summary:...
. The protagonist of these novels is "Lucinda Wyman", which was also the name of Ruth Sawyer's grandmother; but "Lucinda" was not Ruth's actual name.
Sawyer travelled to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
in 1900, to teach storytelling to teachers organizing
kindergartens for children orphaned during the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
.
She returned to New York to study folklore and storytelling
Storytelling
Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, where she got a B.S.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in 1904.
During two summers in 1905 and 1907, she
worked in Ireland for the New York Sun
New York Sun
The New York Sun was a weekday daily newspaper published in New York City from 2002 to 2008. When it debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of an otherwise unrelated earlier New York paper, The Sun , it became the first general-interest broadsheet newspaper to be started...
and spent time in the countryside
collecting Irish folk tales. Using these tales, she wrote Old Con and Patrick in 1946.
Sawyer married Albert C. Durand, an ophthalmologist. The couple raised two children, Margaret (Peggy) and David, in Ithaca, New York. Peggy, a children's librarian, married Robert McCloskey
Robert McCloskey
Robert McCloskey was an American author and illustrator of children's books. McCloskey wrote and illustrated eight books, two of which won the Caldecott Medal, the American Library Association's annual award of distinction for children's book illustration.Many of McCloskey's books were set on the...
, who later became a children's book author himself. David, an economist and statistician, was a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management
MIT Sloan School of Management
The MIT Sloan School of Management is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, Massachusetts....
.
Works
Her first published work was The Primrose RingThe Primrose Ring
The Primrose Ring is a novel by Ruth Sawyer, published first in 1915 and illustrated by Fanny Munsell. This was Sawyer's first published novel. She later wrote the 1937 Newbery Medal winner Roller Skates....
in 1915, of which a movie
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
was made in 1917 (starring Loretta Young
Loretta Young
Loretta Young was an American actress. Starting as a child actress, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1953...
). Her best-known book is Roller Skates
Roller Skates
Roller Skates is a book by Ruth Sawyer that won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1937. It deals with the author's New York childhood.-Plot summary:...
, which won her the Newbery Medal
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
in 1937.
Like Roller Skates, a number of Sawyer's books are autobiographical accounts of her childhood and reveal an interesting perspective on American life at the end of the 19th century. These include The Year of Jubilo (1940) and Daddles, The Story of a Plain Hound-Dog (1964). As well as "Le berceau de Bo le Bossu"( a religious, Christmas folktale in Saint-Malo) Another tale Journey Cake Ho! written in 1953 and illustrated by Robert McCloskey was a Caledcott Honour Book.
Sawyer also wrote non-autobiographical novels for children, such as The Enchanted Schoolhouse (1956; ill. Hugh Troy)
and The Year of the Christmas Dragon (1960; ill. Hugh Troy), and a scholarly work, The Way of the Storyteller
(1942). She published a number of collections of folktales, such as This Way To Christmas (1916) (which featured an illustration by a young Norman Rockwell
Norman Rockwell
Norman Percevel Rockwell was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening...
) and My Spain: A Storyteller's Year of Collecting (1967).
External links
- The Ruth Sawyer Collection at the College of St. CatherineCollege of St. CatherineSt. Catherine University is a private Catholic university for women located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. There is also a campus in Minneapolis. Enrollment is 5,246 students. With approximately 2,900 bachelor's students, it is the largest university for women in the United States. Its...
, St PaulSaint Paul, MinnesotaSaint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state... - 2001 Humanities Lecture: Storied Lives by Betsy Hearne, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignThe University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...