Elizabeth Enright facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elizabeth Enright
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| Born | Elizabeth Wright Enright September 17, 1907 Oak Park, Illinois |
| Died | June 8, 1968 Wainscott, Long Island, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer, illustrator |
| Period | 1935–1968 |
| Genre | Children's fiction |
| Notable works |
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| Notable awards | Newbery Medal 1939 |
Elizabeth Wright Enright Gillham (September 17, 1907 – June 8, 1968) was an American writer. She was famous for her children's books. She also worked as an illustrator, wrote short stories for adults, and taught creative writing.
Enright won the Newbery Medal for her book Thimble Summer (1938). Her book Gone-Away Lake (1957) was also a Newbery runner-up. She also wrote the popular Melendy quartet series of books. Her short stories for adults appeared in many popular magazines.
In 2012, Gone-Away Lake was ranked among the top children's novels. This survey was published by School Library Journal. Two other Melendy books, The Saturdays (novel) and The Four-Story Mistake, also made the Top 100 list.
Contents
Elizabeth Enright's Early Life and Education
Elizabeth Enright was born on September 17, 1907. Her birthplace was Oak Park, Illinois. Her father, Walter J. Enright, was a political cartoonist. Her mother, Maginel Wright Enright, was also an illustrator. She designed shoes and wrote a memoir. Maginel was the younger sister of the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
When Elizabeth was eleven, her parents divorced. After that, she attended boarding school in Connecticut. Elizabeth first wanted to be a dancer. She even studied with the famous Martha Graham. She spent her summers on Nantucket Island. This island off New England later inspired some of her books.
Becoming an Artist and Writer
Elizabeth Enright studied to become an illustrator. She attended the Art Students League of New York from 1927 to 1928. She also studied at the Parsons School of Design in Paris.
Later, Enright reviewed children's books for The New York Times. She taught creative writing at Barnard College in New York City. She also led writing workshops at colleges across the U.S.A.
On April 24, 1930, Enright married Robert Gillham. He was an advertising executive. They had three sons: Nicholas, Robert, and Oliver. Elizabeth Enright passed away on June 8, 1968, at age 60. Her obituary said she "died in her sleep at her home... after a short illness." She is buried in Wainscott Cemetery in Wainscott, New York.
Elizabeth Enright's Writing Journey
Elizabeth Enright started her career as a magazine illustrator. In 1930, she illustrated Kees by Marian King. This was a children's book about a Dutch boy.
From Illustrator to Author
Enright created a series of sketches with an African theme. She then wrote a story to go with them. In 1935, her first book, Kintu: A Congo Adventure, was published. Reviewers liked her story even more than her pictures. This encouraged Enright to focus more on writing. After 1951, other artists illustrated her children's books.
Her next book was Thimble Summer (1938). It was inspired by her summers on Frank Lloyd Wright's farm in Wisconsin. It also used family stories from her mother and grandmother. In 1939, Thimble Summer won the Newbery Medal. Elizabeth Enright was only thirty, making her one of the youngest winners ever.
Award-Winning Books
Enright's book Gone-Away Lake came out in 1957. It became a Newbery Honor book. It also won the New York Herald Tribune's Children's Spring Book Festival Award. In 1963, the American Library Association chose Gone-Away Lake for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award. This award is presented by the Queen of Denmark. In 1970, it also received the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award.
The first editions of Gone-Away Lake and its sequel, Return to Gone-Away (1961), were illustrated by Joe and Beth Krush. Later editions featured cover art by Harry Potter illustrator Mary GrandPre. However, they kept the original interior illustrations by the Krushes.
The Melendy Quartet Series
Enright also wrote the popular Melendy Quartet. This is a series of four children's novels. They were published between 1941 and 1951. The books are:
This series follows the adventures of four siblings. They live in New York City and later in upstate New York. Their father is a writer, and they have a housekeeper named Cuffy.
Tatsinda, a traditional fairy tale, was an Honor Book in 1963. It was recognized at the New York Herald Tribune's Children's Spring Book Festival. Enright's last children's book was Zee (1966). It tells the story of a mischievous fairy.
Short Stories for Adults
Elizabeth Enright also wrote short stories for adult readers. These were published in magazines like The New Yorker and Ladies Home Journal. Her adult stories were collected in books such as Borrowed Summer and Other Stories. Her final book, Doublefields: Memories and Stories, combined short fiction with tales from her own life.
Elizabeth Enright's Published Works
Children's Books
- 1935 - Kintu: A Congo Adventure, Farrar & Rinehart
- 1938 - Thimble Summer, Farrar & Rinehart — Newbery Medal Winner
- 1940 - The Sea Is All Around, Farrar & Rinehart
- 1951 - A Christmas Tree for Lydia, Henry Holt and Company
- 1957 - Gone-Away Lake, Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc. — Newbery Honor book, ALA Notable Book
- 1961 - Return to Gone-Away, Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc.
- 1963 - Tatsinda, Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc.
- 1965 - Zeee, Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc.
The Melendy Quartet Series
- 1941 - The Saturdays, Farrar & Rinehart — ALA Notable Book
- 1942 - The Four-Story Mistake, Farrar & Rinehart
- 1944 - Then There Were Five, Farrar & Rinehart
- 1951 - Spiderweb for Two: A Melendy Maze, Farrar & Rinehart
Collections of Short Stories for Adults
- 1946 - Borrowed Summer and Other Stories, Rinehart
- 1951 - The Moment Before the Rain, Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc.
- 1956 - The Riddle of the Fly and Other Stories, Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc.
- 1966 - Doublefields: Memories and Stories, Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc.
Other Writings
- "The Hero's Changing Face", in The Contents of the Basket, 1960
- "Newbery Medal Acceptance Speech", The Horn Book Magazine, July 1939
- "Realism in Children's Literature", The Horn Book Magazine, April 1967
