Isabelle Christian Holland (June 16, 1920 – February 9, 2002) was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
author of fiction for children and adults. She wrote
gothic novel
Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of ea ...
s, adult
mysteries,
romantic thrillers and many books for children and young adults.
Life and career
Holland was born in
Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (B ...
,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. Her father was the American
Consul
Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...
in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
, during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. Due to the war, she moved to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
in 1940. She attended Tulane University and also was a member of
Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Alpha Theta (), also known simply as Theta, is an international women’s fraternity founded on January 27, 1870, at DePauw University, formerly Indiana Asbury. It was the first Greek-letter fraternity established for women. The main arc ...
. As publicity director for Lippincott, she oversaw the publicity for ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' and became a friend of author Harper Lee.
She wrote over 50 books and was still working at the time of her death at age 81 in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
Holland's books for children and young adults tackled a variety of difficult and/or controversial topics—death,
rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...
,
incest
Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity ( marriage or stepfamily), ado ...
,
teen pregnancy
Teenage pregnancy, also known as adolescent pregnancy, is pregnancy in a female adolescent or young adult under the age of 20. This includes those who are legally considered adults in their country. The WHO defines adolescence as the period bet ...
,
sexual abuse
Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...
, and
homosexuality
Homosexuality is Romance (love), romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romant ...
. Reoccurring themes in her books for adults and children include the ravages of
alcoholism
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...
on families, and the healing and redemptive power of animals.
Her literary archives are in the
de Grummond Children's Literature Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi
[ and the Kerlan Collection of Children's Literature at the ]University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...
.[
Two of her novels have been made into movies:
* '' Bump in the Night'' (1991)
* '' The Man Without a Face'' (1993)
These novels deal with issues or allegations of ]pedophilia
Pedophilia ( alternatively spelt paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of puberty ...
.
Works
*(1953) "The Fortune Hunter" (fiction). ''Collier's'', Jan 24, pp. 32–39.
*(1967) ''Cecily'' (fiction)
*(1970) ''Amanda's Choice'' (fiction)
*(1972) ''The Man Without a Face'' (fiction)
*(1973) ''Heads You Win Tails I Lose'' (fiction)
*(1974) ''Trelawny'' (fiction)
*(1975) ''Of Love and Death and Other Journeys'' (fiction)
*(1975) ''Kilgaren'' (fiction)
*(1975) ''Moncrieff'' (fiction)
*(1976) ''Trelawny's Fell'' (fiction)
*(1976) ''Standish Place'' (fiction)
*(1977) ''Alan and the Animal Kingdom'' (fiction)
*(1977) ''Darcourt'' (fiction)
*(1977) ''Hitchhike'' (fiction)
*(1978) ''The DeMaury Papers'' (fiction)
*(1978) ''Dinah and the Green Fat Kingdom'' (fiction)
*(1978) ''Grenelle'' (fiction)
*(1978) ''Journey for Three'' (fiction)
*(1978) ''Ask No Questions'' (fiction)
*(1979) ''Tower Abbey'' (fiction)
*(1979) ''The Marchington Inheritance'' (fiction)
*(1980) ''Now Is Not Too Late'' (fiction)
*(1980) ''Counterpoint'' (fiction)
*(1981) ''Counterpart'' (fiction)
*(1981) ''Summer of My First Love'' (fiction)
*(1981) ''The Lost Madonna'' (fiction)
*(1982) ''Abbie's God Book'' (fiction)
*(1982) ''A Horse Named Peaceable'' (fiction)
*(1983) ''The Empty House'' (fiction)
*(1983) ''God, Mrs. Muskrat and Aunt Dot'' (fiction)
*(1983) ''Perdita'' (fiction)
*(1983) ''After the First Love'' (fiction)
*(1984) ''Kevin's Hat'' (fiction)
*(1984) ''A Death at St. Anselm's'' (mystery)
*(1984) ''Green Andrew Green'' (fiction)
*(1984) ''The Island'' (fiction)
*(1985) ''Jenny Kiss'd Me'' (fiction)
*(1986) ''Henry and Grudge'' (fiction)
*(1987) ''Toby the Splendid'' (fiction)
*(1987) ''The Christmas Cat'' (fiction)
*(1987) ''Love and the Genetic Factor'' (fiction)
*(1988) ''Love and Inheritance'' (fiction)
*(1988) '' Bump in the Night'' (fiction)
*(1989) ''The Easter Donkey'' (fiction)
*(1989) ''A Fatal Advent'' (mystery)
*(1989) ''The Unfrightened Dark'' (fiction)
*(1990) ''The Journey Home'' (fiction)
*(1990) ''Thief'' (fiction)
*(1991) ''Search'' (fiction)
*(1991) ''The House in the Woods'' (fiction)
*(1994) ''Behind the Lines'' (fiction)
*(1995) ''Family Trust'' (fiction)
*(1996) ''The Promised Land'' (fiction)
*(1999) ''Paperboy'' (fiction)
See also
References
External links
Isabelle Holland Books and Series with covers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holland, Isabelle
American children's writers
1920 births
2002 deaths
20th-century American novelists
Writers from Basel-Stadt
Tulane University alumni
American women children's writers
American women novelists
20th-century American women writers
American expatriates in Switzerland
American expatriates in the United Kingdom