AUTHOR OF THE MONTH

C. S. Lewis

C. S. Lewis, or Jack Lewis, as he preferred to be called, was born in Belfast, Ireland (now Northern Ireland) on November 29, 1898. He was the second son of Albert Lewis, a lawyer, and Flora Hamilton Lewis. His older brother, Warren Hamilton Lewis, who was known as Warnie, had been born three years earlier in 1895. Lewis's early childhood was relatively happy and carefree. In those days Northern Ireland was not yet plagued by bitter civil strife, and the Lewises were comfortably off. The family home, called Little Lea, was a large, gabled house with dark, narrow passages and an overgrown garden, which Warnie and Jack played in and explored together. There was also a library that was crammed with books—two of Jack's favorites were Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This somewhat idyllic boyhood came to an end for Lewis when his mother became ill and died of cancer in 1908. Barely a month after her death the two boys were sent away from home to go to boarding school in England. Lewis hated the school, with its strict rules and hard, unsympathetic headmaster, and he missed Belfast terribly. Fortunately for him, the school closed in 1910, and he was able to return to Ireland. After a year, however, he was sent back to England to study. This time, the experience proved to be mostly positive. As a teenager, Lewis learned to love poetry, especially the works of Virgil and Homer. He also developed an interest in modern languages, mastering French, German, and Italian. In 1916 Lewis was accepted at University College, the oldest college (founded 1249) at Oxford University. Oxford, along with Cambridge University, had been a leading center of learning since the Middle Ages. Soon after he entered the University, however, Lewis chose to volunteer for active duty in World War I, to serve in the British Army then fighting in the muddy trenches of northern France.

Following the end of the war in 1918, Lewis returned to Oxford, where he took up his studies again with great enthusiasm. In 1925, after graduating with first-class honors in Greek and Latin Literature, Philosophy and Ancient History, and English Literature, Lewis was elected to an important teaching post in English at Magdalen College, Oxford. He remained at Oxford for 29 years before becoming a professor of medieval and renaissance literature at Magdalene College, Cambridge, in 1955. In addition to his teaching duties at the University, Lewis began to publish books.

His first major work, The Pilgrim's Regress (1933), was about his own spiritual journey to Christian faith. Other works followed that won him acclaim not only as a writer of books on religious subjects, but also as a writer of academic works and popular novels. The Allegory of Love (1936), which is still considered a masterpiece today, was a history of love literature from the early Middle Ages to Shakespeare's time; Out of the Silent Planet (1938) was the first of a trilogy of science fiction novels, the hero of which is loosely modeled on Lewis's friend J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the children's classic The Hobbit. Initially when Lewis turned to writing children's books, his publisher and some of his friends tried to dissuade him; they thought it would hurt his reputation as writer of serious works. J.R.R. Tolkien in particular criticized Lewis's first Narnia book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He thought that there were too many elements that clashed—a Father Christmas and an evil witch, talking animals and children. Thankfully, Lewis didn't listen to any of them. Following the publication of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 1950, Lewis quickly wrote 6 more Narnia books, publishing the final one, The Last Battle, in 1956. Although they were not well received at first by critics and reviewers, the books gained in popularity through word of mouth. The Narnia books have since sold more than 100 million copies and are among the most beloved books of classic children's literature. After finishing the Narnia series, Lewis continued to write on autobiographical and religious subjects, but less prolifically. Mainly he was preoccupied with the health crises of his wife, Joy Gresham, whom he married in 1956 and who died of cancer in 1960. After her death, Lewis's own health deteriorated, and in the summer of 1963 he resigned his post at Cambridge. His death, which occurred on November 22, 1963—the same day President Kennedy was assassinated—was only quietly noted. He is remembered, however, by readers the world over, whom he has delighted and inspired for generations.

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R.K. Narayan (October)

R.K. Narayan was a famous Indian writer. He is famous for his novels like- The Guide, Swami and Friends, The English Teacher etc.

R K Narayan (1906-2001)

He was born on 10 October, 1906 in Chennai. His full name is Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami. His family members used to call him Kunjappa.
His father was school headmaster. He spent his childhood with maternal grandmother Parvati. He married to Rajam. They had a daughter Hema. His brother was R K Laxman.
He studied at Lutheran Mission School and CRC High School. He obtained hid bachelors degree from the University of Mysore.
From childhood, he had interest in reading books. He used to read a lot of books and gradually started writing.
He started his career as a school teacher. Later, he left the job to become a writer.
His first novel was Swami and Friends. In this novel he created the famous town “Malgudi”. His many writings are based in this town. Initially, he had to face problems in publishing novels. In 1935, his novel Swami and Friends was published with the help of Graham Greene. In the subsequent years, The Bachelor of Arts, The Dark Room novels were published.
In 1939, his wife Rajam died of typhoid. Her dead left a deep affect on R K Narayan. During this time he wrote the novel- The English Teacher.
He also started his own publishing company- Indian Thought Publications. He was successful with this publication.
R K Narayan’s some of the novels are-Mr. Sampath, The Financial Expert, Waiting for the Mahatma, The Guide, My Dateless Diary, The Man Eater of Malgudi, Gods Demons and Others, The Vendor of Sweets, The Ramayana, The painter of Signs, The Mahabharata, Grandmothers Tale. His many of the books content are taken from his own life.
He won many awards such as- Sahitya Academy Award, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and A C Bensen Medal. He was also nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1989.
He died on 13 May, 2001.

Reference: http://www.factsninfo.com/2015/06/facts-and-biography-of-r-k-narayan.html

Roald Dahl (September)

Roald Dahl was born in Llandaff, Wales, of Norwegian parents. His father, Harald Dahl, was the joint owner of a successful ship-broking business, "Aadnesen & Dahl" with another Norwegian. Before emigrating to Wales, Harald had been a farmer near Oslo. He married a young French girl named Marie in Paris; she died after giving birth to their second child. In 1911 he married Sofie Magdalene Hesselberg. Harald died when Dahl was four years old, and three weeks later his elder sister, Astri, died from appendicitis. The family had to sell their jewellery to pay for Dahl's upkeep at Repton, a private school in Derbyshire. His years at public schools in Wales and England Dahl later described without nostalgia: "I was appalled by the fact that masters and senior boys were allowed literally to wound other boys, and sometimes quite severely. I couldn't get over it. I never got over it..." (from Boy: Tales of Childhood, 1984) Dahl especially hated the matron who ruled the school dormitories. These experiences later inspired him to write stories in which children fight against cruel adults and authorities. "I have never met anybody who so persistently writes words meaning the exact opposite of what is intended," one of Dahl's English teachers commented.

"Parents and schoolteachers are the enemy," Dahl once said. "The adult is the enemy of the child because of the awful process of civilizing this thing that when it is born is an animal with no manners, no moral sense at all." In WITCHES (1973) behind the mask of a beautiful woman is an ugly witch, and in MATILDA (1988) Miss Turnbull throws children out of windows. Both parents are eaten in JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH (1961), but the real enemies of the hero of the story, a little boy, are two aunts.

At eighteen, instead of entering university, Dahl joined an expedition to Newfoundland. Returning to England he took a job with Shell, working in London (1933-37) and in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (1937-39). During World War II he served in the Royal Air Forces in Libya, Greece, and Syria. He was shot down in Libya, wounded in Syria, and then posted to Washington as an assistant air attaché to British Security (1942-43). In 1943 he was a wing commander and worked until 1945 for British Security Co-ordination in North America.

In the crash Dahl had fractured his skull, and said later: "You do get bits of magic from enormous bumps on the head." While he was recovering from his wounds, Dahl had strange dreams, which inspired his first short stories. Encouraged by C.S. Forester, Dahl wrote about his most exiting RAF adventures. The story, A Piece of Cake, was published by the Saturday Evening Post. It earned him $1,000. The same story was later included in OVER TO YOU: THE STORIES OF FLYERS AND FLYING (1946). Dahl's first children's book, THE GREMLINS (1943), about mischievous little creatures, was written for Walt Disney and became later a popular movie. His collection of short stories, SOMEONE LIKE YOU (1954), gained world success, as did its sequel, KISS KISS (1959). The two books were serialized for television in America. A number of the stories had appeared in the New Yorker. Dahl's stories were seen in Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-61) and in the Tales of the Unexpected (1979) series.

In 1953 Dahl married the successful and wealthy actress Patricia Neal; they had one son and four daughters - the eldest daughter Olivia died of measles when she was eight. Dahl's wife suffered a series of brain hemorrhages at the age of 38; while pregnant with their fifth child she had a stroke. She described her recovery and her husband's solicitous help in the autobiography As I Am (1988). The marriage ended in 1983 after other family tragedies, and Dahl married Felicity Ann Crossland.

The only stageplay Dahl ever wrote, THE HONEYS, failed in New York in 1955. After showing little inclination towards children's literature, Dahl published JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH (1961). It was first published in the United States, but it took six years before Dahl found a published in Britain. James and the Giant Peach was followed by the highly popular tale CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (1964), filmed in 1971. The story dealt with one small boy's search for the ultimate prize in fierce competition with other, highly unpleasant children, many of whom come to sticky ends as a result of their greediness. It presented the central theme in Dahl's fiction for young readers: virtue is rewarded, vice is punished. In the end the fabulous chocolate factory is given to Charlie, the kind, impoverished boy. THE WITCHES (1983) won the Whitbread Children's Book Award in 1983. The judges described the book as "deliciously disgusting". Later Felicity Dahl collected her husband's culinary "delights", such as "Bird Pie", "Hot Frogs", and "Lickable Wallpaper" in Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes (1994).

MY UNCLE OSWALD (1979) was Dahl's first full-length novel, a bizarre story of a scheme for procuring and selling the sperm of the world's most powerful and brilliant men. Dahl received three Edgar Allan Poe Awards (1954, 1959, 1980). In 1982 he won his first literary prize with THE BFG, a story about Big Friendly Giant, who kidnaps and takes a little girl to Giantland, where giants eat children. In 1983 he received World Fantasy Convention Lifetime Achievement award. Dahl died of an infection on November 23, 1990, in Oxford. Dahl's autobiographical books, BOY: TALES OF CHILDHOOD and GOING SOLO, appeared in 1984 and 1986 respectively. The success of his books resulted in the foundation of the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery in Aylesbury, not far from where he lived.

Website: http://www.roalddahl.com/

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Credits:- http://lookingglassreview.com/books/authors-illustrators/profile/?

Enid Blyton (August)

Enid Blyton is one of the most successful children’s writers ever. Her prolific output of 700 books has been translated into more than 40 languages and sold in excess of 400 million copies worldwide.

The world famous Blyton signature is a byword for fun and action-packed stories, appealing to boys and girls from pre-school to early teens. She created an unrivalled group of successful and internationally renowned series which include mystery and adventure stories such as The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Adventure Series and The Mystery Series, school stories such as Malory Towers, St Clare’s and The Naughtiest Girl, fantasy tales such as The Faraway Tree, The Enchanted Wood and The Wishing Chair, and of course the much-loved Noddy stories for younger children.

Many of these series have been developed into successful film and TV programmes — both animated and live action – with key broadcast partners around the world. There have also been numerous audiotapes based on her works, including a recent version of The Enchanted Wood read by Titanic star Kate Winslet.

The Blyton appeal is truly international. In Germany, Blyton is a household name thanks to her pre-teen series Hanni und Nanni (St Clare’s) and Funf Freunde (The Famous Five) while in France, Oui-Oui (Noddy) has been one of the best-loved pre-school characters since the early 60's, and Club des Cinq ( Famous Five) has been in continuous publication in the prestigious Bibliotheque Rose since it first launched in 1954. Blyton books continue to attract new readers around the world: in The People’s Republic of China, the Beijing Publishing House has recently translated and published the 24-part series of original Noddy books, the first time Blyton has entered the Chinese market.

Blyton was motivated by the desire to empower children with the joys and skills of reading and the discovery of the world around them. Her books and stories combine exciting and powerful narratives with a clear and incisive style of writing, allowing children to use their imagination to the full while at the same time feeling an integral part of the story.

Website: http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/

Credits:- http://lookingglassreview.com/books/authors-illustrators/profile/?