Ernest Hebert facts for kids

Ernest Hebert (born May 4, 1941) is an American author. He is famous for his series of seven novels called the Darby Chronicles. These books were written between 1979 and 2014. They tell stories about life in a made-up New Hampshire town. The town changes from a quiet, rural place to a more modern, busy area.

Ernest Hebert has also written other books that are not part of the Darby series. These include Mad Boys, The Old American, and a poetry collection called The Contrarian Voice: And Other Poems.

About Ernest Hebert

Early Life and Education

Ernest Hebert was born in Keene, New Hampshire, in 1941. He was named after his mother's oldest brother. He went to public school and finished Keene High School in 1959.

After high school, he first joined the army reserves. Then, he worked for a telephone company. In 1963, after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Ernest decided to go back to school. He applied to Keene State College again.

Once he was accepted, Ernest hired a retired teacher to help him with English. He started college in 1964, first studying History. But he soon realized he loved writing more than history. In his third year, he read a poem called Preludes by T.S. Eliot. This poem changed his view on life. He then decided to focus only on poetry and changed his major to English.

Becoming a Writer

Ernest Hebert met his future wife, Medora Lavoie, at Keene State College. They got married in 1969, the same year he graduated. After college, they moved to California. Ernest went to Stanford University to study creative writing, focusing on poetry. He later decided he had learned enough and returned to New Hampshire with Medora.

During this time, Ernest worked as a journalist for several newspapers. He wrote for The Keene Sentinel Newspaper and The Boston Globe, among others. In 1972, he won two awards for his journalism.

While working as a journalist, Ernest wrote his first novel, The Dogs of March. This book was published in 1979. It was the first in his Darby Chronicles Series. This series is set in the fictional town of Darby, New Hampshire. He continued to write more books in this series, including A Little More Than Kin, Whisper My Name, and Howard Elman's Farewell. He also wrote other books, like his recent poetry collection, The Contrarian Voice: And Other Poems.

Teaching and Legacy

Besides writing, Ernest Hebert was a professor at Dartmouth College for over 25 years. He taught English and creative writing. He taught many students, including David Benioff, who later became a famous writer and producer. Ernest was the first fiction writer to become a tenured professor at Dartmouth College.

His early writings for the Darby Series are kept at Dartmouth College. His old college, Keene State College, also has a collection of his work. This includes his digital art, original book proofs, and early drafts of his novels.

His Books

Here are some of Ernest Hebert's books:

• The Contrarian Voice: And Other Poems (2017)
• Never Back Down (2012)
• I Love U (ebook) (2011)
• New Hampshire Patterns, with Jon Gilbert Fox, photographer (2007)
• The Old American (2000) (This book won an award for Outstanding Fiction.)
• Mad Boys (1993) (This also won an award for Outstanding Fiction.)
• The Kinship (1993) (This book reprinted two novels from the Darby series and an essay.)

The Darby Series:

• Howard Elman's Farewell (2014)
• Spoonwood (2005) (This book won an award for best regional novel in the Northeast.)
• Live Free or Die (1990)
• The Passion of Estelle Jordan (1987)
• Whisper My Name (1984)
• A Little More Than Kin (1982)
• The Dogs of March (1979) (This book was recognized for being an excellent first novel.)