Kevin John William Crossley-Holland (born 7 February 1941) is an English translator,

children's author Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

and poet. His best known work is probably the Arthur trilogy (2000–2003), for which he won the

Guardian Prize The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award was a literary award that annual recognised one fiction book written for children or young adults (at least age eight) and published in the United Kingdom. It was conferred upon the autho ...

and other recognition. Crossley-Holland won the annual Carnegie Medal for his 1985 novella ''

Storm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstorm), ...

''. For the 70th anniversary of the Medal in 2007 it was named one of the top ten winning works.

Life and career

Kevin Crossley-Holland was born in Mursley, north

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-e ...

. He grew up in Whiteleaf, a village in the Chilterns. His father was Peter Crossley-Holland, a composer and ethnomusicologist; his mother was the potter and gallerist Joan Crossley-Holland (née Cowper). He attended

Bryanston School Bryanston School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) located next to the village of Bryanston, and near the town of Blandford Forum, in Dorset in South West England. It was founded in 1928. ...

in Dorset, followed by St Edmund Hall,

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, where after failing his first exams he discovered a passion for

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo-Saxons happened wit ...

literature. After graduating he became the Gregory Fellow in Poetry at the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

and from 1972 to 1977 he lectured in Anglo-Saxon for the

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

London programme. He taught in the

midwestern United States The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

as a

Fulbright The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

Visiting Scholar at

St. Olaf College St. Olaf College is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American pastors and farmers led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after the King and the Patron Saint Olaf ...

, and held an Endowed Chair in Humanities and Fine Arts at the University of St Thomas,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

. Crossley-Holland's writing career began when he became a poetry, fiction, and children's book editor for

Macmillan MacMillan, Macmillan, McMillen or McMillan may refer to: People * McMillan (surname) * Clan MacMillan, a Highland Scottish clan * Harold Macmillan, British statesman and politician * James MacMillan, Scottish composer * William Duncan MacMillan ...

. He was later editorial director for

Victor Gollancz Sir Victor Gollancz (; 9 April 1893 – 8 February 1967) was a British publisher and humanitarian. Gollancz was known as a supporter of left-wing causes. His loyalties shifted between liberalism and communism, but he defined himself as a Chris ...

. He is known for poetry, novels, story collections, and translations, including three editions of the Anglo-Saxon classic ''

Beowulf ''Beowulf'' (; ang, Bēowulf ) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. ...

'' in 1968 1973, and 1999. Some of his books, including the Arthur trilogy, reinterpret medieval legends. He writes collections of Norse myths (''The Penguin Book of Norse Myths'') and British and Irish folk tales (''The Magic Lands: Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland''). ''Bracelet of Bones'', a Viking "saga", was published in 2011, as was ''The Mountains of Norfolk: New and Selected Poems''. He has edited and translated the riddles included in the Anglo-Saxon '' Exeter Book''. Crossley-Holland has written the libretti for two operas by

Nicola LeFanu Nicola Frances LeFanu (born 28 April 1947) is a British composer, academic, lecturer and director. Life Nicola LeFanu was born in Wickham Bishops, Essex, England, to William LeFanu and Elizabeth Maconchy (also a composer, later Dame Elizabeth ...

, ''The Green Children'' (1966) and ''The Wildman'' (1976), and for a

chamber opera Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra. Early 20th-century operas of this type include Paul Hindemith's '' Cardillac'' (1926). Earlier small-scale operas such as Pergol ...

about Nelson,

Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...

, and Emma Hamilton. He has collaborated several times with the composers

Arthur Bliss Sir Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss (2 August 189127 March 1975) was an English composer and conductor. Bliss's musical training was cut short by the First World War, in which he served with distinction in the army. In the post-war years he qu ...

and William Mathias and has written a stage play, ''The Wuffings'' (1999). Crossley-Holland lives on the

North Norfolk North Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in Cromer. The population at the 2011 Census was 101,149. History The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972. It was ...

coast, where he spent some of his childhood. His autobiography, ''The Hidden Roads: A Memoir of Childhood'', was published in 2009. In 2012 he took up the honorary post of President of the

School Library Association The School Library Association (SLA) is an independent organization in the United Kingdom which promotes libraries and literacy in schools. The SLA was founded in 1937 and is based at Kembrey Park in north-eastern Swindon. It is a charity registe ...

Arthur trilogy

The Arthur trilogy comprises ''

The Seeing Stone ''The Seeing Stone'', or ''Arthur: The Seeing Stone'', is a historical novel for children or young adults, written by Kevin Crossley-Holland and published by Orion in 2000, the first book of the Arthur trilogy (2000 to 2003). Set primarily i ...

'' (2000), ''At the Crossing-Places'' (2001), and ''King of the Middle March'' (2003), published by

Orion Children's Books Orion Publishing Group Ltd. is a UK-based book publisher. It was founded in 1991 and acquired Weidenfeld & Nicolson the following year. The group has published numerous bestselling books by notable authors including Ian Rankin, Michael Connelly, ...

in hardcover editions summing almost 1,100 pages. These have been published in 25 different languages and must be the author's best-known works. Crossley-Holland takes a new look at the

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as ...

legends, showing a medieval boy's development from a page to a squire and finally to a knight. Alongside this advance, the medieval Arthur faces issues such as his prospective

betrothal An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

and

inheritance Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Of ...

. Meanwhile, he has the "Seeing Stone" through which he observes the remarkably parallel early life of King Arthur, several hundred years before. A follow-up to the trilogy was published in 2006, ''Gatty's Tale''.

Awards

Crossley-Holland was awarded the 1985 Carnegie Medal and 2007 "Anniversary Top Ten" recognition from British librarians for ''

'' (

Heinemann Heinemann may refer to: * Heinemann (surname) * Heinemann (publisher), a publishing company * Heinemann Park, a.k.a. Pelican Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States See also * Heineman Heineman is a surname. Notable people with the surnam ...

, 1984). For ''Arthur: The Seeing Stone'' he won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, a once-in-a-lifetime award judged by a panel of British children's writers and the

Tir na n-Og Award The Tir na n-Og Awards (abbreviated TnaO) are a set of annual children's literary awards in Wales from 1976. They are presented by the Books Council of Wales to the best books published during the preceding calendar year in each of three awards ca ...

from the

Welsh Books Council The Books Council of Wales (previously known as the Welsh Books Council) or Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru was established in 1961. Today it is funded by the Welsh Government. The council's aims are to promote the interests of Welsh language books and Engl ...

. The two annual awards for young people's books recognise one fiction published in the U.K., written by an author who has not yet won it, and the best English-language book with "authentic Welsh background". ''The Seeing Stone'' was bronze runner-up for the

Smarties Prize Smarties are colour-varied sugar-coated chocolate confectionery. They have been manufactured since 1937, originally by H.I. Rowntree & Company in the United Kingdom, and now by Nestlé. Smarties are oblate spheroids with a minor axis of abou ...

in age category 9–11 years and it made the 2000 Whitbread Awards shortlist. ''Gatty's Tale'' was one of seven books on the 2008 Carnegie shortlist."2008 Awards: Carnegie Authors"
. CILIP.

References

External links

* * * * Archival material at

The Northern Children's Book Festival, 2003
The Guardian: Interview
*
Interview with Kevin Crossley-Holland
about folktales for children, ''All About Kids! TV Series'' No. 39 (1989)
Interview with Kevin-Crossley-Holland
about "A Peaceable Kingdom" (children's literature in education), ''All About Kids! TV Series'' No. 155 (1994) {{DEFAULTSORT:Crossley-Holland, Kevin English children's writers English male poets English opera librettists Anglo-Saxon studies scholars Old Norse studies scholars Writers on Germanic paganism Carnegie Medal in Literature winners Guardian Children's Fiction Prize winners Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature St. Olaf College faculty Alumni of St Edmund Hall, Oxford People educated at Bryanston School People from Buckinghamshire 1941 births Living people Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages Writers of modern Arthurian fiction English male novelists