E.B. White
Elwyn Brooks "E.B." White (July 11, 1899 - October 1, 1985)
White is most notably known for his literary works "Charlotte's Web" and "Stuart Little", along with his revision of "The Elements of Style," a text authored by his former professor William Strunk Jr. [1]
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Life and Work
Elwyn Brooks ("E.B.") was born in Mount Vernon, New York and was the youngest child of Samuel Tilly White and Jessie Hart White. Although a shy child who was not fond of school, White won numerous writing contests and enjoyed playing music. White joined the United States Army and served in World War I. After duty in the Army, he attended Cornell University from 1917-1921, graduating with a Bachelor's degree in the Arts. While attending Cornell he worked for the student newspaper the Cornell Daily Sun where he ultimately became the editor-in-chief. Cornell University is also where he acquired the nickname of 'Andy', a name given to anyone at the university with the last name of "White" because of the first Cornell president, Andrew White. [2] After graduating, White held a series of odd jobs such as washing dishes and selling cockroach powder, as he traveled across the country. He settled in Seattle, Washington and worked for The Seattle Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer writing columns and advertisements.
After his stay in Seattle, White decided to go back to New York where he received a job at The New Yorker magazine. He held his position at The New Yorker for the better part of 60 years. While working at The New Yorker he met Katharine Sergeant Angell whom he married in 1929. Their son Joel was born in 1930.
In 1945 White published his first children's book, Stuart Little, to moderate critical success. Despite only moderate success with the book, Columbia Pictures released the film version in 1999. The movie enjoyed much success and was followed by two sequels, despite there being no literary sequels by White.[3]
In 1952, White published his next children's novel Charlotte's Web which went on to critical and popular acclaim. A children's classic, by 2006 it sold 43 million copies worldwide. Charlotte's Web was also adapted for the screen. Paramount Pictures released an animated version of Charlotte's Web in 1973.[4] And Paramount in conjunction with Walden Media, The Kerner Entertainment Company, and Nickelodeon Movies, released another version of Charlotte's Web in 2006.[5]
In 1959, White updated and revised The Elements of Style, a book of grammar and style guidelines for English writers, which was authored by his former teacher at Cornell University, William Strunk Jr. The book has since become a mainstay in college writing courses.
Death
E.B. died on October 1, 1985 due to complications of Alzheimer's. He is buried next to his wife in the Brooklin Cemetery of North Brooklin, Maine.
Selected Works
- New Yorker Magazine, contributing editor (1927 - 1985)
- The Fox of Peapack and Other Poems (1928)
- The Lady Is Cold (1929)
- Is Sex Necessary? (with James Thurber) (1929)
- Alice Through the Cellophane (1933)
- Every Day Is Saturday (1934)
- Farewell to Model T (1936)
- Harper's Magazine, columnist (1938 - 1944)
- One Man's Meat (1944)
- Stuart Little (1945)
- The Wild Flag (1946)
- Here Is New York (1949)
- Charlotte's Web (1952)
- The Second Tree From the Corner (1959)
- The Elements of Style (by William Strunk, Jr.) (revised 1959)
- The Points of My Compass (1962)
- An E.B. White Reader (1966)
- The Trumpet of the Swan (1970)
- Quo vadimus? or, The Case for the Bicycle (1972)
- Letters of E.B. White (1976)
- Essays of E.B. White (1977)
- Poems and sketches of E.B. White (1981)
References
EB White - Most Companionable of Writers [6]
LibraryofCongress.gov catalog[7]
