Lloyd Alexander

American children's writer (1924-2007)

Lloyd Chudley Alexanderwas an American author of more than 40 books, primarily fantasy novels for children and young adults. Over his seven-decade career, Alexander wrote 48 books, and his work has been translated into 20 languages.

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About the Lloyd Alexander

Lloyd Chudley Alexanderwas an American author of more than 40 books, primarily fantasy novels for children and young adults. Over his seven-decade career, Alexander wrote 48 books, and his work has been translated into 20 languages. His most famous work is The Chronicles of Prydain, a series of five high fantasy novels whose conclusion, The High King, was awarded the 1969 Newbery Medal for excellence in American children’s literature. He won U.S. National Book Awards in 1971 and 1982.

Alexander grew up in Pennsylvania during the Great Depression. He developed a passion for reading books and writing poetry. He attended college for only one term, believing that there was nothing more college could teach him. He enlisted in the United States Army and rose to be a staff sergeant in intelligence and counter-intelligence. He met his wife while he was stationed in France and studied French literature at the University of Paris. After returning to the United States with his new family, he struggled to make a living from writing until he published And Let the Credit Go (1955), his first autobiographical novel. His interest in Welsh mythology led to the publication of The Chronicles of Prydain.

Alexander was nominated twice for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award, and received the 1971 National Book Award for Children’s Books for The Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian and the 1982 National Book Award for Westmark. Alexander received three lifetime achievement awards before his death in 2007. The Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University contains a permanent Lloyd Alexander exhibit that showcases several items from his home office including his desk, typewriter, and manuscripts and editions of his books.

18 Quotes by Lloyd Alexander

  1. 1.

    I loved all the world’s mythologies.

    Lloyd Alexander

    American children's writer (1924-2007)

  2. 2.

    Using the device of an imaginary world allows me in some strange way to go to the central issues – it’s one of many ways to express feelings about real people, about real human relationships.

    Lloyd Alexander

    American children's writer (1924-2007)

  3. 3.

    I decided that adventure was the best way to learn about writing.

    Lloyd Alexander

    American children's writer (1924-2007)

  4. 4.

    Eventually, I was sent to Wales and Germany, and after the war, to Paris.

    Lloyd Alexander

    American children's writer (1924-2007)

  5. 5.

    After seven years of writing – and working many jobs to support my family – I finally got published.

    Lloyd Alexander

    American children's writer (1924-2007)

  6. 6.

    All that writers can do is keep trying to say what is deepest in their hearts.

    Lloyd Alexander

    American children's writer (1924-2007)

  7. 7.

    Most of my books have been written in the form of fantasy.

    Lloyd Alexander

    American children's writer (1924-2007)

  8. 8.

    My parents were horrified when I told them I wanted to be an author.

    Lloyd Alexander

    American children's writer (1924-2007)

  9. 9.

    It was 1943. The U.S. had already entered World War II, so I decided to join the army.

    Lloyd Alexander

    American children's writer (1924-2007)

  10. 10.

    When I was discharged, I attended the University of Paris and met a beautiful Parisian girl, Janine. We soon married and eventually returned to the States.

    Lloyd Alexander

    American children's writer (1924-2007)

  11. 11.

    If writers learn more from their books than do readers, perhaps I may have begun to learn.

    Lloyd Alexander

    American children's writer (1924-2007)

  12. 12.

    My concern is how we learn to be genuine human beings.

    Lloyd Alexander

    American children's writer (1924-2007)

  13. 13.

    King Arthur was one of my heroes – I played with a trash can lid for a knightly shield and my uncle’s cane for the sword Excalibur.

    Lloyd Alexander

    American children's writer (1924-2007)

  14. 14.

    My family pleaded with me to forget literature and do something sensible, such as find some sort of useful work.

    Lloyd Alexander

    American children's writer (1924-2007)

  15. 15.

    Shakespeare, Dickens, Mark Twain, and so many others were my dearest friends and greatest teachers.

    Lloyd Alexander

    American children's writer (1924-2007)

  16. 16.

    After I saved some money, I quit work and went to a local college.

    Lloyd Alexander

    American children's writer (1924-2007)

  17. 17.

    We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself.

    Lloyd Alexander

    American children's writer (1924-2007)

  18. 18.

    There’s this huge number of desperate people.

    Lloyd Alexander

    American children's writer (1924-2007)