Doff your caps.
Author Lloyd Alexander died 17 May 2007. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 30 January 1924, he was a children’s fantasy author for half a century (though he did also write several adult novels). He won the 1970 Newbery Award, and was a National Book Award Finalist, for The High King.
His books include three well-known series—The Chronicles of Prydain, The Westmark Trilogy, and The Vesper Holly Series—as well as at least 24 other books. His latest, The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio, is scheduled to be published by his long-time publisher, Henry Holt, in August 2007.
Prydain was the first fantasy series I ever read. I still shiver at the thought of the iron-shod feet of the walking dead marching down the roads, the hissing of the Hunters of Annuvin, who all take the strength of their fallen comrade if one in the pack dies, and I still wince at the memory of Pryderi crowning himself with the iron crown of Arrawn, and the iron clings to his skull and burns him to death.
And I still have to brush away a tear even at the thought of the absurd braggart Fflewddur Flam, whose magic harp always broke a string with a loud PING! whenever he give into his bardic desire to boast, shattering and breaking his beloved harp into the dying fire, in order to save his companions from a winternight’s snow, and the few bits of wood burn all the night long, and music comes up out of the flames as the harp strings burn, and songs play from the dying harp for hours–and in the morning, when the fire finally turns to ash, one crooked silvery string, hardened in the fire, is all that is left.
May he rest in peace; may the white ship carry him back to the Lands of Summer.
About John C Wright
John C. Wright is a practicing philosopher, a retired attorney, newspaperman, and newspaper editor, and a published author of science fiction. Once a Houyhnhnm, he was expelled from the august ranks of purely rational beings when he fell in love; but retains an honorary title.
