Lloyd Alexander

On January 30,1924, Lloyd Alexander was born in Philadelphia. He knew from the age of fifteen that he wanted to be a writer, and for seventeen years he wrote for adults. Then in 1963, this charming, erudite author published his first children’s book, Time Cat, and 1964, his second, The Book of Three. His editor Ann Durell, believed both in the book itself and the author—two judgments that would be justified over time—and she printed 20,000 copies with confidence. Never out of print and never out of favor with young readers, this volume introduces a fascinating set of characters in The Chronicles of Prydain series.

Alexander worked in U.S. Army intelligence in Wales during World War II. To write his new series he began intensive research into the mythology and history of that country, reading Lady Charlotte Guest’s Mabinogion at least a dozen times. For the next seven years he continued the story that he started in The Book of Three—one that introduces as its main character, Taran, a hero who serves as an assistant pig keeper but longs for great adventures. However lowly this position seems, Taran fiercely guards a white oracular pig named Hen Wen.

When Hen Wen escapes, Taran sets out to find her and ends up on a quest with a strange group of companions—Gurgi, a Golem-like figure, Fflewddur Fflam, a bard with a harp whose strings break when he tells a lie, Princess Eilonwy, an independent young woman who uses magic and cunning to keep them all alive, and Doli, a dwarf who tries to make himself invisible. It doesn’t look much like a heroic band, but in their case looks turn out to be deceiving. Although The Book of Three works perfectly well as a single volume, it also sets up the rest of the series. Millions of children have fallen under its spell over the decades. Perfect for eight to eleven year olds, the Chronicles of Prydain provides exciting fantasy for those a bit too young for Harry Potter or J.R.R. Tolkien.

Alexander lived to be eighty-three, won the Newbery Award for the final book in the series, The High King, and received multiple National Book Awards. His rise to fame began with a dinner with Ann Durell, when he beguiled her with the idea of the Chronicles of Prydain series. Then he went on to capture the hearts of young readers with the final results.

Happy birthday Lloyd; you are personally missed by so many of us who had a chance to meet you over the years.

Here’s a passage from The Book of Three: