Ian Serraillier
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Ian Serraillier (24 September 1912 – 28 November 1994) was an English novelist and poet. He retold legends from England, Greece and Rome and was best known for his children's books, especially '' The Silver Sword'' (1956), a wartime adventure story that the
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adapted for television in 1957 and again in 1971.


Early life and education

Serraillier, born in London on 24 September 1912, was the eldest of the four children of Lucien Serraillier (1886–1919) and Mary Kirkland Rodger (1883–1940). His father died in the 1918
Spanish flu The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus. The earliest docum ...
pandemic. Serraillier was educated at
Brighton College Brighton College is a fee-charging, co-educational, boarding and day public school for boys and girls aged 3 to 18 in Brighton and Hove, England. The school has three sites: Brighton College (the senior school, ages 11 to 18), Brighton Co ...
, a public school, and at
St Edmund Hall, Oxford St Edmund Hall (also known as The Hall and Teddy Hall) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. The college claims to be "the oldest surviving academic society to house and educate undergraduates in any university" and was the las ...
. He then taught English at
Wycliffe College Wycliffe College () is an evangelical Colleges of the University of Toronto, graduate school of theology of the University of Toronto located at the University of Toronto#St. George campus, St. George campus in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded i ...
,
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
in 1936–1939, Dudley Boys Grammar School,
Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...
, in 1939–1946, and Midhurst Grammar School, West Sussex, in 1946–1961.


Pacifism

As a
Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...
Serraillier was granted
conscientious objector A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–indu ...
status in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, and served as an air raid warden during the conflict. He was a member of the pacifist Peace Pledge Union.


Writing and editing

In 1946, Serraillier published his first three children's books: ''They Raced for Treasure'', a story of sailing, treasure and spies, and ''Thomas and the Sparrow''. These were followed by several more adventure stories, including his best-known one ''The Silver Sword'' (1956), which follows the story of four refugee children, three of them siblings: Ruth, Edek, and Bronia. The fourth, Jan, is another of the many Warsaw war orphans, and has somehow met their father. The four children search for the siblings' parents in the chaos of Europe just after the Second World War. The book appeared in the United States under the title ''Escape from Warsaw''. From 1961, Serraillier spent most of his time writing fiction and non-fiction, poems, and educational programmes for television. He also retold classic and ancient legends for children, in prose and verse, including ''
Beowulf ''Beowulf'' (; ) is an Old English poetry, Old English poem, an Epic poetry, epic in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 Alliterative verse, alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and List of translat ...
'', works by
Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer ( ; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He ...
, English folklore, and Greek and Roman myths. In 1948, he and with his wife, Anne Margaret Rogers, founded the New Windmill Series for Heinemann Educational Books, to provide inexpensive editions of worthwhile fiction, travel and biography for older readers. He continued to co-edit the series until the early 1990s, when
Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
set in. ''The Ivory Horn'' (1960), a retelling of the
Roland Roland (; ; or ''Rotholandus''; or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. The historical Roland was mil ...
legend, was a runner-up for the Carnegie Medal, as had been ''The Silver Sword''. As a popular children's author, Serraillier was invited to Children's Literature Summer Camps for members of the
Puffin Puffins are any of three species of small alcids (auks) in the bird genus ''Fratercula''. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crev ...
Book Club, run by Colony Holidays (predecessor to ATE Superweeks), along with other popular children's authors such as
Joan Aiken Joan Delano Aiken (4 September 1924 – 4 January 2004) was an English writer specialising in supernatural fiction and children's alternative history novels. In 1999 she was awarded an MBE for her services to children's literature. For ''Th ...
and Clive King.


Later life

In 1948, Serraillier and his wife, Anne Margaret Rogers, founded the New Windmill Series for Heinemann Educational Books. They lived and worked in an old flint cottage at Cocking near
Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...
, in
West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...
. He remained a co-editor until the onset of Alzheimer's disease in the early 1990s. The illness contributed to his death on 28 November 1994, at the age of 82. They had three daughters and a son.


Papers

The Papers of Ian Serraillier held at the
University of Reading The University of Reading is a public research university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as the University Extension College, Reading, an extension college of Christchurch College, Oxford, and became University College, ...
largely comprise manuscripts, typescripts, and galley proofs, including ''Fight for Freedom'', ''The Clashing Rocks'', ''The Cave of Death'', ''Havelock the Dane'', ''They Raced for Treasure'', ''Flight to Adventure'', and ''The Silver Sword''. They also contain correspondence with publishers, other business and literary correspondence, notebooks with poems, ideas and story outlines, rejection letters, publishers' agreements, press cuttings, research material, lecture notes and typescripts, obituaries, etc.


Bibliography


Poetry

*''Three New Poets: Roy McFadden, Alex Comfort, Ian Serraillier'' (1942, Grey Walls Press) *''The Weaver Birds'' (1944, Macmillan) — illustrated by Serraillier *''Thomas and the Sparrow'' (1946,
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...
) *''The Monster Horse'' (1950, Oxford University Press) *''The Ballad of Kon-Tiki and Other Verses'' (1952, Oxford University Press) *''Everest Climbed'' (1955, Oxford University Press) *''Poems and Pictures'' (1958, Heinemann) *''A Puffin Quartet of Poets: Eleanor Farjeon, James Reeves, E. V. Rieu, Ian Serraillier'' (1958,
Penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...
) — edited by Eleanor Graham *''The Windmill Book of Ballads: Beowulf the Warrior and Other Poems'' (1962, Heinemann) *''I'll Tell You a Tale: A Collection of Poems and Ballads'' (1973,
Longman Longman, also known as Pearson Longman, is a publisher, publishing company founded in 1724 in London, England, which is owned by Pearson PLC. Since 1968, Longman has been used primarily as an imprint by Pearson's Schools business. The Longman ...
) — illustrated by
Charles Keeping Charles William James Keeping (22 September 1924 – 16 May 1988) was an English people, English illustrator, children's book author and lithographer. He made the illustrations for Rosemary Sutcliff's historical novels for children, and he creat ...
and Renate Meyer *''How Happily She Laughs and Other Poems'' (1976, Longman) *''The Visitor''


Fiction

*''They Raced for Treasure'' (1946,
Cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used th ...
) — later issued in a "simplified education edition" as ''Treasure Ahead'' (1954, Heinemann) *''Flight to Adventure'' (1947, Cape) — later issued in a "simplified education edition" as ''Mountain Rescue'' (1955, Heinemann) *''Captain Bounsaboard and the Pirates'' (1949, Cape) *''There’s No Escape'' (1950, Cape) — later issued in an "education edition" (1952, Heinemann) *''Belinda and the Swans'' (1952, Cape) *''Jungle Adventure'' (1953, Heinemann) — based on story by R. M. Ballantyne *''The Adventures of Dick Varley'' (1954, Heinemann) — based on a story by R. M. Ballantyne *''Making Good'' (1955, Heinemann) *''The Silver Sword'' (1956, Cape) — also published as ''Escape from Warsaw'' (1963, Scholastic), and as an "educational edition" (1957, Heinemann) *''Guns in the Wild'' (1956, Heinemann) — based on a story by R. M. Ballantyne *''Katy at Home'' (1957, Heinemann) — based on a story by
Susan Coolidge Sarah Chauncey Woolsey (January 29, 1835 – April 9, 1905) was an American children's author who wrote under the pen name Susan Coolidge. Background Woolsey was born on January 29, 1835, into the wealthy, influential New England Dwight fam ...
*''Katy at School'' (1959, Heinemann) — based on a story by Susan Coolidge *''The Ivory Horn'' (1960, Oxford University Press) — adaptation of ''
The Song of Roland The ''Song of Roland'' () is an 11th-century based on the deeds of the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in AD 778, during the reign of the Emperor Charlemagne. It is the oldest surviving major work of French li ...
'' *''The Gorgon’s Head: The Story of Perseus'' (1961, Oxford University Press) *''The Way of Danger: The Story of Theseus'' (1962, Oxford University Press) *''Happily Ever After'' (1963, Oxford University Press) *''The Clashing Rocks: The Story of Jason'' (1963, Oxford University Press) *''The Midnight Thief: A Musical Story'' (1963, BBC Publications) — music by
Richard Rodney Bennett Sir Richard Rodney Bennett (29 March 193624 December 2012) was an English composer and pianist. He was noted for his musical versatility, drawing from such sources as jazz, romanticism, and avant-garde; and for his use of twelve-tone technique ...
, illustrations by Tellosa *''The Enchanted Island: Stories from Shakespeare'' (1964, Walck) — republished in an "education edition" as ''Murder at Dunsinane'' (1967, Scholastic) *''The Cave of Death'' (1965, Heinemann) *''Fight for Freedom'' (1965, Heinemann) *''Ahmet the Woodseller: A Musical Story'' (1965, Oxford University Press) — music by Gordon Crosse, illustrations by John Griffiths *''A Fall from the Sky: The Story of Daedalus'' (1966,
Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
) *''The Challenge of the Green Knight'' (1966, Oxford University Press) *''Robin in the Greenwood'' (1967, Oxford University Press) *''The Turtle Drum: A Musical Story'' (1967, BBC Publications) — music by
Malcolm Arnold Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold (21 October 1921 – 23 September 2006) was an English composer. His works feature music in many genres, including a cycle of nine symphonies, numerous concertos, concert works, chamber music, choral music and music f ...
, illustrated by Charles Pickard *''Havelock the Dane'' (1967, Walck) — published in the UK as ''Havelock the Warrior'' (1968, Hamish Hamilton) *''Robin and His Merry Men'' (1969, Oxford University Press) *''The Tale of Three Landlubbers'' (1970,
Hamish Hamilton Hamish Hamilton Limited is a publishing imprint and originally a British publishing house, founded in 1931 eponymously by the half- Scot half- American Jamie Hamilton (''Hamish'' is the vocative form of the Gaelic Seumas eaning James ''Jame ...
) — illustrated by
Raymond Briggs Raymond Redvers Briggs (18 January 1934 – 9 August 2022) was an English illustrator, cartoonist, graphic novelist and author. Achieving critical and popular success among adults and children, he is best known in Britain for his 1978 story ...
*''Heracles the Strong'' (1970, Walck) *''The Ballad of St Simeon'' (1970, Walck) *''A Pride of Lions: A Musical Story'' (1971, Oxford University Press) — music by Phyllis Tate *''The Bishop and the Devil'' (1971, Kaye and Ward) *''Have You Got Your Ticket?'' (1972, Longman) *''Marko’s Wedding'' (1972, Deutsch) *''The Franklin’s Tale, Retold'' (1972, Warne) *''Suppose You Met a Witch'' (1973,
Little, Brown Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries, it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emil ...
) *''The Robin and the Wren'' (1974, Longman) *''The Road to Canterbury'' (1979,
Kestrel Books The term kestrel (from , derivative from , i.e. ratchet) is the common name given to several species of predatory birds from the falcon genus ''Falco''. Kestrels are most easily distinguished by their typical hunting behaviour which is to hove ...
)


Non-Fiction

*''Chaucer and His World'' (1967,
Lutterworth Lutterworth is an historic market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Harborough District, Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. The town is located in southern Leicestershire, close to the borders with Warwicks ...
) *''All Change at Singleton: For Charlton, Goodwood, East and West Dean'' (1979, Phillimore) — local history *''Goodwood Country in Old Photographs'' (1987, Sutton) — with Richard Pailthorpe


Translations

*''Florina and the Wild Bird by Selina Choenz'' (1952, Oxford University Press) — co-translated with his wife, Anne Serraillier *''Beowulf the Warrior'' (1954, Oxford University Press)


As editor

*''Wide Horizon Reading Scheme'' (1953–1955, Heinemann) 4 volumes – edited, with Ronald Ridout


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Serraillier, Ian 1912 births 1994 deaths Alumni of St Edmund Hall, Oxford English conscientious objectors People educated at Midhurst Grammar School People educated at Brighton College English Quakers English children's writers 20th-century English novelists English male novelists 20th-century English male writers People from Cocking, West Sussex 20th-century Quakers