Russell Hoban facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Russell Hoban
Hoban in London, November 2010
Born	Russell Conwell Hoban (1925-02-04)February 4, 1925 Lansdale, Pennsylvania, US
Died	December 13, 2011(2011-12-13) (aged 86) London, England, UK
Occupation	Writer, illustrator
Nationality	American
Notable awards	Whitbread Prize 1974 Campbell Memorial Award 1982
Spouse	• Lillian Hoban (1944–1975, divorced); 4 children (Phoebe, Abrom, Esmé, Julia) • Gundula Ahl (1975–2011); 3 children (Jake, Ben, Wieland)

Russell Conwell Hoban (born February 4, 1925 – died December 13, 2011) was an American writer. He was born in the United States but lived in London, England, for most of his life.

Hoban wrote many different kinds of books. These included exciting fantasy stories, science fiction, and books for children. He also wrote poetry and stories that blended real life with magic, known as magical realism.

Russell Hoban's Early Life

Russell Hoban was born in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. His parents were immigrants. His father, Abram T. Hoban, worked for a Yiddish newspaper and led a drama group.

Russell was 11 years old when his father passed away. His mother, Jeanette Dimmerman, then raised him. He went to Temple University for a short time.

Serving in World War II

At 18, Hoban joined the United States Army. He served as a radio operator during World War II. He was stationed in the Philippines and Italy.

He earned a Bronze Star Medal for his service. During this time, he married Lillian Aberman. She later became a writer and illustrator too. They had four children together.

Starting His Writing Career

After leaving the Army, Hoban worked as an illustrator. He painted covers for famous magazines like TIME and Sports Illustrated. He also wrote advertisements.

These jobs later inspired some of his characters in his books. In 1959, he wrote and illustrated his first children's book. It was called What Does It Do and How Does It Work?: Power Shovel, Dump Truck, and Other Heavy Machines.

Writing for Children

For the next ten years, Hoban focused on writing for children. He became well-known for his series of seven picture books about a badger named Frances. Frances was a spirited girl whose adventures were based on Hoban's own children.

Here is a small part from one of the Frances books:

Frances did not eat her egg.
She sang a little song to it.
She sang the song very softly:

"I do not like the way you slide,
I do not like your soft inside,
I do not like you lots of ways,
And I could do for many days
Without eggs."

The first book, Bedtime for Frances (1960), had illustrations by Garth Williams. For the next five books and a poetry collection, his wife Lillian Hoban drew the pictures.

Russell Hoban wrote about three dozen children's books by 1972. Most of these were illustrated by Lillian Hoban. Their son, Brom Hoban, illustrated one book called The Sea-thing Child (1972).

First Full-Length Novel

In 1967, Hoban wrote The Mouse and His Child. This was a deeper, philosophical story for older children. It was his first full-length novel.

This book was later made into an animated film in 1977.

Life in London

In 1969, the Hoban family moved to London, England. They planned to stay for a short time. However, Russell and Lillian's marriage ended.

While the rest of his family returned to the United States, Hoban stayed in London. He lived there for the rest of his life. Many of his adult novels are set in London.

Russell Hoban's Family

Russell Hoban had four children with his first wife, Lillian Aberman Hoban. Their daughter Phoebe Hoban is a journalist who writes about art.

In 1975, after his first marriage ended, he married Gundula Ahl. She worked in a bookshop in London. They had three children together. One of their sons, Wieland Hoban, is a composer. Russell Hoban dedicated his famous novel Riddley Walker to Wieland.

Russell Hoban also had two sisters. One was Tana Hoban, a photographer and children's author.

Later Years and Legacy

Russell Hoban continued to write throughout his life. His last novel published while he was alive was Angelica Lost and Found (2010). In this story, a magical creature from an old painting comes to life in modern-day San Francisco.

Hoban passed away on December 13, 2011. He once joked that dying would be good for his career. He thought people would then look at his books more closely.

Two new books by Hoban were published after his death in 2012. These were Soonchild and Rosie's Magic Horse.

Fan Community and Events

Russell Hoban had many dedicated fans. In 1998, a fan named Dave Awl created the first big website about Hoban. Hoban himself often shared news on this site.

In 1999, Awl started an online community for fans called The Kraken. This group grew into a worldwide network of Russell Hoban fans.

Annual Fan Celebration

Since 2002, fans have celebrated Hoban's birthday with an event called the Slickman A4 Quotation Event (SA4QE). Fans write their favorite quotes from his books on yellow A4 paper. They then leave these quotes in public places for others to find.

This event has taken place every year. Over 350 quotes have been shared in 46 cities across 14 countries.

In 2005, fans from around the world met in London for the first international convention for Hoban. It was called The Russell Hoban Some-Poasyum. A booklet was published for the event. It included tributes from famous people like actress Glenda Jackson and novelist David Mitchell.

After Hoban's death, a new official website, www.russellhoban.org, was created by volunteers. Hoban's family approved of this new site.

Stage Plays Based on His Work

Many of Russell Hoban's stories have been turned into plays.

In 1984, he worked with a theater group called Impact Theatre Co-operative. They created a performance called The Carrier Frequency. Hoban wrote the text for this play.

Riddley Walker on Stage

His famous novel Riddley Walker was adapted for the stage by Hoban himself. It first premiered in Manchester, England, in 1986. It was later performed in the U.S. and Ireland.

In 2011, the Trouble Puppet Theater Company created a puppet show based on Riddley Walker. Russell Hoban helped them with the production.

In 2012, the Royal Shakespeare Company announced they would stage The Mouse and His Child. This shows how important Hoban's stories are in the theater world.

Common Themes in His Books

Russell Hoban is often called a fantasy writer. Most of his novels include some magical or unusual elements. However, these elements usually appear in stories that are otherwise realistic. This style is known as magic realism.

Some of his books are more clearly fantasy or science fiction. For example, Kleinzeit has characters like Death and Hospital. Riddley Walker is a science-fiction story set in a future, post-apocalyptic world.

Hoban often used similar ideas and images in different books. You might find references to lions, Orpheus, Vermeer (a painter), and King Kong in many of his works.

Awards and Recognition

Russell Hoban's books won several awards.

His picture book How Tom Beat Captain Najork and His Hired Sportsmen (1974) won the Whitbread Award for Children's Books. Quentin Blake illustrated this book.

His novel Riddley Walker (1980) won two major awards. It received the 1982 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. It also won the "Best International Novel" prize at the 1983 Australian SF Convention.

List of Russell Hoban's Works

Russell Hoban wrote many books for both adults and children.

Novels for Adults

The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz (1973)
Kleinzeit (1974)
Turtle Diary (1975)
Riddley Walker (1980)
Pilgermann (1983)
The Medusa Frequency (1987)
Fremder (1996)
Mr. Rinyo-Clacton's Offer (1998)
Angelica's Grotto (1999)
Amaryllis Night and Day (2001)
The Bat Tattoo (2002)
Her Name Was Lola (2003)
Come Dance with Me (2005)
Linger Awhile (2006)
My Tango with Barbara Strozzi (2007)
Angelica Lost and Found (2010)

Selected Books for Children and Young Adults

Frances the Badger series:
- Bedtime for Frances (1960)
- A Baby Sister for Frances
- Bread and Jam for Frances
- A Birthday for Frances
- Best Friends for Frances
- A Bargain for Frances (1970)
The Sorely Trying Day (1964)
Charlie the Tramp (1966)
The Little Brute Family (1966)
The Stone Doll of Sister Brute (1968)
The Mouse and His Child (1968)
Harvey's Hideout (1969)
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (1971)
The Sea-thing Child (1972)
Egg Thoughts and Other Frances Songs (1972) (poetry)
How Tom Beat Captain Najork and his Hired Sportsmen (1974)
A Near Thing for Captain Najork (1975)
The Twenty Elephant Restaurant (1978)
La Corona and the Tin Frog (1979)
Dinner at Alberta's (1979)
Flat Cat (1980)
Ace Dragon Ltd. (1980)
Arthur's New Power (1980)
Serpent Tower (1981)
The Mole Family's Christmas (1981)
The Great Fruit Gum Robbery (1981)
They Came from Aargh! (1981)
The Flight of Bembel Rudzuk (1982)
The Battle of Zormla (1982)
Jim Frog (1983)
Big John Turkle (1983)
Lavinia Bat (1984)
Charlie Meadows (1984)
The Marzipan Pig (1986)
Rain Door (1987)
Monsters (1989)
Jim Hedgehog and the Lonesome Tower (1990)
The Trokeville Way (1996)
The Last of the Wallendas (1997) (poetry)
Jim's Lion (2001)
Soonchild (2012)
Rosie's Magic Horse (2013)
Trouble on Thunder Mountain

Other Works

The Carrier Frequency (1984) (stage play)
Deadsy and the Sexo-Chanjo (1989) and Door (1990) (animated film texts)
The Second Mrs Kong (1994) (opera story)
The Moment under The Moment (1992) (stories, essays)

Film

Turtle Diary (1985)

Images for kids

Russell Hoban in London, 2010
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas.jpg

The book cover for Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas