Elizabeth Wright Enright Gillham (September 17, 1907 – June 8, 1968) 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, p ...

writer of children's books, an illustrator, writer of short stories for adults, literary critic and teacher of creative writing. Perhaps best known as the

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

-winning author of ''

Thimble Summer ''Thimble Summer'' is a 1938 novel by American author Elizabeth Enright, set in Depression-era rural Wisconsin. It won the 1939 Newbery Medal. The very evening that nine-year-old Garnet Linden finds a silver thimble A thimble is a small ...

'' (1938) and the Newbery runner-up '' Gone-Away Lake'' (1957), she also wrote the popular Melendy quartet (1941 to 1951). A

laureate and a multiple winner of the O. Henry Award, her short stories and articles for adults appeared in many popular magazines and have been reprinted in anthologies and textbooks. In 2012 ''Gone-Away Lake'' was ranked number 42 among all-time children's novels in a survey published by ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...

'', a monthly with primarily U.S. audience. The first two Melendy books also made the Top 100, '' The Saturdays (novel)'' and '' The Four-Story Mistake''.

Biography

Enright was born September 17, 1907, in

Oak Park, Illinois Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, adjacent to Chicago. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, 26th-most populous municipality in Illinois, with a population of 54,318 as of the 2020 census. Oak Park was first se ...

. Her father, Walter J. Enright, was a

political cartoonist An editorial cartoonist, also known as a political cartoonist, is an artist who draws editorial cartoons that contain some level of political or social commentary. Their cartoons are used to convey and question an aspect of daily news or current ...

. Her mother,

Maginel Wright Enright Maginel Wright Enright Barney (June 19, 1877 – April 18, 1966) was an American children's book illustrator and graphic artist. She was the younger sister of Frank Lloyd Wright, architect, and the mother of Elizabeth Enright, children's book wr ...

(the younger sister of famous American architect

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright Sr. (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed List of Frank Lloyd Wright works, more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key ...

), was also a book and magazine illustrator, a shoe designer for

Capezio Capezio is the trade name of Capezio Ballet Makers Inc., an American manufacturer of dance shoes, apparel and accessories. History In 1887, Salvatore Capezio, an Italian cobbler emigrated to the United States, opened a shoe repair shop near th ...

, and author of the memoir, ''The Valley of the God-Almighty Joneses.'' The Enrights divorced when Elizabeth was eleven, and after that she attended boarding school in

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

.Silvey, Anita (editor), ''The Essential Guide to Children's Books and Their Creators'', Houghton Mifflin, 2002, p. 143. Her mother remarried, becoming Maginel Wright Barney. Originally, Enright intended to be a dancer, and for a time she studied under the famous

Martha Graham Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer, teacher and choreographer, whose style, the Graham technique, reshaped the dance world and is still taught in academies worldwide. Graham danced and taught for over s ...

.Cech, John (ed.), ''American Writers for Children, 1900–1960'', Gale Research, 1983. Her summers were spent on

Nantucket Island Nantucket () is an island in the state of Massachusetts in the United States, about south of the Cape Cod peninsula. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined cou ...

, off the coast of

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

, a location she later used in some of her books. Preparing for a career as an illustrator, Enright studied at the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school in the American Fine Arts Society in Manhattan, New York City. The Arts Students League is known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may study f ...

in 1927–1928, and at the Parsons School of Design, Paris. Enright also reviewed children's literature for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', taught creative writing at

Barnard College Barnard College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college affiliated with Columbia University in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a grou ...

, a women's college affiliated with the then all-male

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in New York City's

Morningside Heights Morningside Heights is a neighborhood on the West Side of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Morningside Drive to the east, 125th Street to the north, 110th Street to the south, and Riverside Drive to the west. Morningsi ...

neighborhood on the Upper Westside (1960–1962), and led writing seminars at colleges across the U.S.A. Enright married Robert Gillham, an advertising executive with the J. Walter Thompson agency, April 24, 1930. They had three sons:

Nicholas Nicholas is a male name, the Anglophone version of an ancient Greek name in use since antiquity, and cognate with the modern Greek , . It originally derived from a combination of two Ancient Greek, Greek words meaning 'victory' and 'people'. In ...

, Robert and Oliver (1948–2008). She died aged 60 in her home in Wainscott, Long Island, New York State on June 8, 1968. Her obituary in ''The New York Times'' states that she "died in her sleep at her home... after a short illness." She is buried in Wainscott Cemetery in Wainscott, Long Island, New York State in

Suffolk County, New York Suffolk County ( ) is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of New York, constituting the eastern two-thirds of Long Island. It is bordered to its west by Nassau County, to its east by Gardiners Bay and the open Atlantic Ocean, to its no ...

, next to her husband and mother. There is also a flat stone commemorative tablet for Elizabeth Enright, along with her husband and mother in Unity Chapel Cemetery in rural

Spring Green, Wisconsin Spring Green is a village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,566 at the 2020 census. The village is located within the Town of Spring Green. It is perhaps best known for the architect Frank Lloyd Wright's estate ...

, where many members of her mother's family, the Lloyd-Joneses, are buried. The cemetery is adjacent to her uncle Frank Lloyd Wright's landmark home,

Taliesin Taliesin ( , ; 6th century AD) was an early Britons (Celtic people), Brittonic poet of Sub-Roman Britain whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the ''Book of Taliesin''. Taliesin was a renowned bard who is believed to ...

Career

Beginning as a magazine illustrator, in 1930 Enright illustrated Marian King's ''Kees'', a children's book about a

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

boy and his pet duck. At one point Enright developed a series of sketches with an African flair. She then wrote a story to go with them, and in 1935 her first book, ''Kintu: A Congo Adventure'' was published. It is significant that reviewers sometimes preferred the story over the pictures, as this encouraged Enright to turn more and more to writing. After 1951 her children's books were illustrated by other artists. Her next book, ''

'', (1938), blended memories of summers spent on

's farm in

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

and family stories from her mother and grandmother. It received the

for 1939, making Enright, at thirty, one of the youngest writers ever to win the award. Enright's '' Gone-Away Lake'' appeared two decades later in 1957 and became a

Newbery Honor The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

book. It also received the ''

New York Herald Tribune The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the '' New York Tribune'' acquired the '' New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and compet ...

's'' Children's Spring Book Festival Award. In 1963, the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

named ''Gone-Away Lake'' as the U.S. nominee for the international

Hans Christian Andersen Award The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". Th ...

, from the

International Board on Books for Young People International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

(announced at the

Bologna Children's Book Fair The Bologna Children's Book Fair or La fiera del libro per ragazzi is the leading professional fair for children's books in the world. Since 1963, it is held yearly for four days in March or April in Bologna, Italy. It is the meeting place for al ...

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, and presented by the

Queen of Denmark The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The Kingdom of Denmark was alrea ...

) and in 1970, thirteen years after its publication, it also received the

Lewis Carroll Shelf Award The Lewis Carroll Shelf Award was an American literary award conferred on several books by the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education annually from 1958 to 1979. Award-winning books were deemed to "belong on the same shelf" as ''Al ...

. The first editions of ''Gone-Away Lake'' and its 1961 sequel, '' Return to Gone-Away'', were illustrated by noted illustrators Joe and Beth Krush. In the early twenty-first century, reissued American editions of the Gone-Away books featured cover art by

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

illustrator Mary GrandPre but retained the Krushes' interior illustrations. Enright also wrote the popular Melendy Quartet, a series of four children's novels published between 1941 and 1951: '' The Saturdays (novel)'', '' The Four-Story Mistake'', '' Then There Were Five'', and '' Spiderweb for Two: A Melendy Maze.'' This series tells the adventures of four siblings who live in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and later in upstate New York with their father, an economist, and a housekeeper named Cuffy. ''Tatsinda'', a traditional fairy tale, was named an Honor Book at the 1963 ''

s Children's Spring Book Festival. Enright's final children's book, ''Zeee'', the story of a naughty fairy, appeared in 1966. Enright's short stories for adult readers were published in magazines such as ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', ''

Ladies Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine that ran until 2016 and was last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century ...

'', ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Internationalism * World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship * Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community * Cosmopolitan ...

'', ''The Yale Review'', ''

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...

'' (monthly) and ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...

''. They have been reprinted in anthologies, including ''The Best American Short Stories'' (1951, 1952) and ''O. Henry Prize Stories'' (1946, 1949, 1950, 1960); and were collected in ''Borrowed Summer and Other Stories'', ''The Moment Before the Rain'', and ''The Riddle of the Fly''. Her final book, ''Doublefields: Memories and Stories'', is a combination of short fiction and tales from her own life experiences.

Reception and legacy

According to children's literature expert

May Hill Arbuthnot May Hill Arbuthnot (August 27, 1884 – October 2, 1969) was an American educator, editor, writer, and critic who devoted her career to the awareness and importance of children's literature. Her efforts expanded and enriched the selection of bo ...

, "Elizabeth Enright has a gift for realism" and her style is "forthright and lively".Arbuthnot, May Hill, ''Children and Books'', Scott Foresman, 1964, p. 440. Speaking of the Melendy series,

Anita Silvey Anita Silvey is an American author, editor, and literary critic in the genre of children’s literature. Born in 1947 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Silvey has served as Editor-in-Chief of ''The Horn Book Magazine'' and as vice-president at Hou ...

wrote, "These cosmopolitan children are intelligent, artistic, affectionate, and, most of all, interesting." Reviewer Irene Haas says Enright's "Keen perception of childhood and her remarkable gifts as a writer place her books among the select few that are timeless and enduring." She goes on to say her books are ones to "become deeply involved in, to absorb easily and happily and to remember always."Chevalier, Tracy (ed.), ''Twentieth-Century Children's Writers'', St. James Press, 1989, p. 318. According to Charisse Gendron, "Enright's most original contribution to children's literature remains her humorous and lyrical description of characters... They are ardently individual, each one, and... fascinating to read about."

Works

Children's books

*1935 - ''Kintu: A Congo Adventure'',

Farrar & Rinehart Farrar & Rinehart (1929–1946) was a United States book publishing company founded in New York. Farrar & Rinehart enjoyed success with both non-fiction and novels, notably, the landmark Rivers of America Series and the first ten books in the Ne ...

; *1938 - ''

'', Farrar & Rinehart —

Winner *1940 - ''The Sea Is All Around'', Farrar & Rinehart *1951 - ''A Christmas Tree for Lydia'',

Henry Holt and Company Henry Holt and Company is an American book-publishing company based in New York City. One of the oldest publishers in the United States, it was founded in 1866 by Henry Holt (publisher), Henry Holt and Frederick Leypoldt. The company publishes in ...

— a small-format gift book illustrated by the author; originally published in the magazine ''

Woman's Home Companion ''Woman's Home Companion'' was an American monthly magazine, published from 1873 to 1957. It was highly successful, climbing to a circulation peak of more than four million during the 1930s and 1940s. The magazine, headquartered in Springfield, O ...

'' as "A Tree for Lydia") *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. ;Melendy quartet *1941 - ''

The Saturdays The Saturdays are an English-Irish girl group based in London, England. The group formed during the summer of 2007 and has been on hiatus since 2014. The lineup consists of Frankie Bridge, Una Healy, Rochelle Humes, Mollie King, and Vanessa Whi ...

'',

— 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 works

* "The Hero's Changing Face", in ''The Contents of the Basket'', Spain, Francis (editor),

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...

, 1960; * "Newbery Medal Acceptance Speech", ''The Horn Book Magazine'', July 1939, pp. 231–235; * "Realism in Children's Literature", ''The Horn Book Magazine'', April 1967, pp. 2165–170.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Enright, Elizabeth 1907 births 1968 deaths Writers from Oak Park, Illinois American children's writers Writers who illustrated their own writing Frank Lloyd Wright Newbery Medal winners Newbery Honor winners 20th-century American women writers