Marc Brown (author)

Marc Tolon Brown (born November 25, 1946) is an American author and illustrator of children's books. Brown writes as well as illustrates the ''Arthur'' book series and is best known for creating that series and its numerous spin-offs.

Early life and education

While growing up in Erie, Pennsylvania, with his three sisters, Brown was told many stories by his grandmother Thora. This inspired Brown to write stories of his own in the later years of his life. An example of this was the "borrowing" of his 7th grade algebra teacher's name Mr. Rathbun for the character Mr. Ratburn. It was Grandma Thora who also fueled Brown's affinity for drawing, which was discovered at the age of six. While attending McDowell Senior High School, his art teacher, Nancy Bryan, introduced him to watercolors, which he now uses for the majority of his illustrations. Brown was inspired by other artists like Marc Chagall. Maurice Sendak, the author of the children's book ''Where the Wild Things Are'', also influenced Brown in deciding on a career choice.

With the help of his Grandma Thora, Brown was able to major in graphic design at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Even with the opposition from his colleagues, Brown continued with his dream to be a children's book illustrator. After graduating, Brown presented a sample of his drawings to the publishing company Houghton Mifflin, in Boston, Massachusetts, who offered him a USD$5,000 deal. This offer allowed Brown to confirm his decision of making professional illustrating his career. In 1969, he began part-time teaching at Garland Junior College in Boston and illustrated textbooks.

Career

He had many different jobs before focusing solely on his writing career. He was a truck driver, a short-order cook, a TV art director, and finally a college professor. Brown said his professorship was short-lived as the college went bankrupt one semester into his hiring.

Brown published the first book in the Arthur series, '' Arthur's Nose'', in 1976. The names of his two sons, Tolon Adam and Tucker Eliot, have been hidden in all of the ''Arthur'' books except for one. He also has a daughter named Eliza, whose name appears hidden in at least two books. He is a three-time Emmy award winner; the ''Arthur'' TV series adapted from the books was named number one on PBS for three years (1997, 2000, 2001). He was an executive producer on the show during seasons ten through twenty-five.

In 2000, five audiobooks were recorded. Two more were released in 2007 and 2009. In 1996, the books became a television series airing on PBS. Aiming for an audience aged between four and eight years old, the show ran for nearly 25 years, officially ending on February 21, 2022. In total, Brown has published over forty ''Arthur'' books as of 2011, seven audiobooks, and 2 beginner books.

Personal life

Brown married his first wife Stephanie Marini, a ballet dancer and college teacher, on September 1, 1968. Together, they had two sons. The marriage ended in divorce in 1977. On September 11, 1983, he married his second wife, Laurene Krasny, a psychologist and writer. They have a daughter.

References

External links

Official website
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Marc
1946 births
Living people
American children's writers
Daytime Emmy Award winners
American children's book illustrators
Writers from Erie, Pennsylvania
Artists from Erie, Pennsylvania
Cleveland Institute of Art alumni
Writers who illustrated their own writing