Novelist and writer of children's literature, born in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an illustrator for many years before becoming a writer. The Mouse and His Child (1967) is regarded as a modern children's classic. He became known as a novelist with Turtle Diary (1975), later books including Riddley Walker (1980), The Medusa Frequency (1987), The Trokeville Way (1996), Her Name Was Lola (2003), and Come Dance With Me (2005). He has also produced some lively picture-books for children, many illustrated by Quentin Blake, such as Trouble on Thunder Mountain (2000).
Russell Conwell Hoban (born February 4, 1925) is an American writer of fantasy, science fiction, mainstream fiction, magic realism, poetry, and children's books.
Biography
Hoban was born in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of two Jewish Ukrainian immigrants.
Hoban then worked as an illustrator (painting several covers for TIME, Sports Illustrated, and The Saturday Evening Post) and an advertising copywriter—occupations which several of his characters later shared—before writing and illustrating his first children's book, What Does It Do and How Does It Work. The Mouse and His Child, a dark philosophical tale for older children, appeared in 1967 and was Hoban's first full-length novel.
In 1969, Hoban, his wife, and their four children travelled to London, intending to stay only a short time.
Hoban now lives with his second wife, Gundula Ahl;
Themes and genres
Hoban is often described as a fantasy writer;
There is frequent repetition of the same images and themes in different contexts: for instance, many of Hoban's works refer to lions, Orpheus, Eurydice, Persephone, Vermeer, severed heads, heart disease, flickering, Odilon Redon, and King Kong.
User Comments Add a comment…